Forgotten
by Lady Pirate 1214
Summary: What if Hasook wasn't the waterbender for the Fire Ferrets? Instead she's a long time best friend of Bolin and Mako. This is a canon piece I thought of while watching LoK. Includes OC. Cover art thanks to my good friend, Jewel009.
1. A Leaf in the Wind

**Author's Note: Before we begin, I would like to say hello and apologize to any of my readers who read this for not being on for weeks. The well went dry with "Lost Memories" and I thought this up while watching LoK. Please enjoy.**

* * *

A stream of flame whizzed by, inches from her helmet. She retaliated, taking two steps forward as she swung her arm up, a stream of water shooting through the air toward the firebender. She hit him and moments later, a heavy object hit her in the side, throwing her into the bordering ropes of the ring with a pained grunt and knocking the wind out of her. Seconds before it reached her, she saw another disc flying toward her and she brought a wall of water up to defend herself. No need. The rock disc was diverted by another and she gratefully glanced at Bolin as she scrambled to her feet, panting heavily from the exertion of Pro-Bending. Falling fluidly into a waterbending stance, she ignored the dull pain in her side and quickly took in the situation. She caught a glance from Mako and the small tilt of his head and glimmer in his eye indicated what he wanted. Moving forward swiftly, she sent a stream of water at the opposing waterbender and quickly somersaulted out of the way as two fire balls whizzed above her head, knocking their opponent off the arena. She and Mako exchanged brief knowing smiles before she focused on the remaining two benders. But she was too late and didn't notice the plume of flame out of her periphery. It sent her flying backwards and rolling off the arena. Unable to control her fall and biting back a scream, she landed with a splash into the pool of water below.

Breaking the surface with an annoyed huff, she quickly swam to the elevator and trained her eyes onto the arena as she rose above it. Mako and Bolin were moving as a well-trained team against the other two benders, their fire and earth discs skillfully hitting their targets. A pang of self-frustration shot through her. What was wrong with her tonight? It was like they were attacking her from all sides and she had blinders on. There was no reason she shouldn't be in her game tonight. With a sigh she stepped off the elevator to wait on the platform, bending the water off of herself so she could have the small comfort of being dry.

"The final round is over. The Fire Ferrets just barely managed to win!" the announcer's voice said, booming through the arena.

She let out an annoyed sigh and made her way to the locker room, removing her helmet and letting her raven hair tumble out in a damp, sweat-slicked mess.

"Whoohoo, yes! One more win and we're in the championship tournament!" Bolin cheered a few minutes later as he leaped into the locker room, pumping a fist in the air. He grinned at her and then moved toward the latest fan girl he had brought with him. She only gave him a half-hearted smile, her blue eyes clouded with anger at herself.

"Arael," Mako's low voice said and she lifted her head to look at him. "What's up with you tonight?"

She sighed and glanced away, figuring he was probably angry she had gotten thrown off the ring with an avoidable shot. "I don't know. I'm just off tonight."

He nudged her with his elbow and she looked up at him. "Don't be too hard on yourself," he told her. "Just try to get your game together next time and focus."

She held his gaze for a moment and then nodded, moving to her locker to start removing her gear.

"You guys were incredible out there! Especially you, Mr. Hat Trick," Bolin's fan girl said, and Arael rolled her eyes. Why did the earthbender insist on bringing every girl he found up to their locker room? She loved him to death but Spirits it was annoying!

"Oh, you're still here?" she heard Mako say and a small smirk crossed her lips. She glanced over at Mako and they shared an eye roll.

"Oh, you're still a jerk?" the girl retorted and Arael had to bite her tongue to stifle a laugh. Okay, maybe she liked this one. She definitely had some spunk.

Once she was down to her workout clothes, she closed her locker, only half listening until Mako spoke.

"You're the Avatar…and I'm an idiot."

She turned her head in surprise, her eyes falling on the dark-skinned girl who had a smug look on her face, studying her with renewed interest. So this…what was her name…Korra? She was the Avatar? How the hell did Bolin end up meeting her? She didn't really seem any different from anyone else in Republic City, aside from the Water Tribe get up. She did have some obvious muscle, but otherwise she looked like any other person. _What'd you expect? Glowing eyes and a muscular entourage?_ she thought to herself. She shook her head and turned to face the others. "You're really the Avatar?"

"Yep," Korra replied.

"Cool, I'm Arael," she said, stepping forward and holding out her hand for the other girl to shake. She figured she might as well be nice to the girl now. After all, it wasn't every day you got to meet the Avatar.

"You looked pretty awesome out there. Those guys were rough at the end," Korra said, her blue eyes shining with excitement.

"Yeah, it happens," Arael responded casually, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips as she attempted to mask her resurfaced frustration toward herself. "It's all part of the game."

"So, Korra, how about we go down to the gym and I'll show you some of that earthbending we talked about," Bolin cut in and Arael cocked an eyebrow at him as he guided the Avatar away.

"You coming?" Mako asked as he closed his locker and glanced at her, turning toward the doorway.

"Nah, I need to get home for dinner. You're going? You could always come over to eat instead if you don't want to watch Bolin work his magic," she said with a small smile.

"Tempting as that is, I should probably make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself."

"Kinda like you did?" she teased.

"Shut up," he grumbled, playfully pushing her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded and grabbed her jacket, pulling it on as she made her way down the hall and out of the arena. The cool night air made her shiver as it touched the sweat still beading her forehead from the match and she shuffled quickly to her Satomobile. Once inside, she turned the key and was on her way back to her house where hopefully her dad had dinner waiting for her. As she turned onto the main road, she grimaced at all of the traffic backed up from the Pro-Bending match. Great. Chances were she wouldn't be getting home for another hour or so at this rate.

She sat back in the seat and tapped her fingers on the wheel, wishing not for the first time in the cool Republic City night time air that she was a firebender so she could warm herself up. Her thoughts went to Mako and she sighed, hoping he wasn't trying to hide his anger or anything. She knew how hard he worked for these matches and how much they meant to him. She had been best friends with the brothers since they were kids and she knew how much they struggled just to get along. If they didn't win a match, then Mako and Bolin didn't get paid and they probably wouldn't eat unless she brought them food. When she was younger, it was hard for her to understand how the boys struggled when her family was so well off. But once they were teenagers, she ended up sneaking the boys into her room sometimes so they wouldn't have to spend the night sleeping in a dirty alley. That was when she realized how badly off they were. She tried to help them as much as she could, but her father told her it wasn't okay to give her friends charity. He told her they probably wouldn't want her help anyway. But that's what he didn't get. Mako was desperate enough to take her money when she offered it if it would help his brother. She even tried to give her allowance to them in secret, but her dad eventually caught her and her parents almost forbid her from ever seeing her best friends again, especially when they were starting to get involved in the Triple Threat Triad. She didn't want to see the boys getting hurt in some gang dispute, so at the age of fifteen when Mako came to her one day asking if she would form a Pro-Bending team with him and Bolin, she accepted without thinking about it.

Honestly, her dad was pretty pissed when she first brought it up. It wasn't that he didn't like Pro-Bending, it was that he didn't want his little girl involved in it. And her mother staunchly disagreed with the whole idea with a flat out "no." It took a little convincing, but she finally made her dad see that it would be good for her to start Pro-Bending. It was great exercise, it brought in money, and she was doing something she loved. He saw it as an opportunity for her to learn about monetary independence and he ended up convincing her mother to let her do it. Two years later, her parents were now her biggest fans and they thought she could definitely make a career out of it.

A loud honk behind her caused her to startle out of her thoughts and she realized she had been sitting in the same spot for a while. She hit the pedal and the Satomobile lurched forward to catch up with the steady flow of traffic.

* * *

"Three cheers for the soon to be Pro-Bending champion!" Her father roared as he lifted her into a spine crunching hug as soon as she walked through the doorway.

"Hey, dad," Arael gasped out. "Crushing…waterbender…"

He released her from his burly grip and a grin spread across his tanned face, reaching his crystal blue eyes. "Young lady, you have made me the happiest father in Republic City."

"Dad, please. We still have to win one more match before we even get into the _running_ for the championship."

"I know, but that was one hell of a match!"

"Tokin, watch your language," her mother chastised as she came in from the other room. A smile spread across her face and her amber eyes lit up with pride and a little worry. "Shiro Shinobi said you got hit. Are you okay?" she asked, cupping Arael's face and studying her.

"Mother, I'm fine. Bolin's hit me harder than that in training before. Besides, he's the radio announcer. He always makes those things sound worse than they are."

"Alright, but tell me if it hurts."

Arael gave her a reassuring smile and then glanced at her father. "What's for dinner? It smells delicious."

His blue eyes lit up as he grabbed her shoulders and led her into the large dining room, complete with its dark red wallpaper, mahogany dining table that comfortably seats fifty, and two giant crystal chandeliers. The Gan Ling mansion was definitely a sight to see, although it wasn't nearly as large as the Sato mansion. Arael's father was a councilman; representative of the Southern Water Tribe. They often had dinner parties that seated the aristocracy of Republic City, but tonight only the end of the table was set with three places. No butlers or servants were to be seen and a covered dish contained what had to be the best smelling thing her dad had ever cooked. Even though they had people waiting for their every beck and call, Councilman Tokin was a chef and liked to prepare family dinners himself.

They all sat at the table and her father began to dish out some kind of fish casserole thing she had never seen before. "What is this stuff?" Arael asked, poking it with her fork.

"Unagi. It's all the rage on Kyoshi Island nowadays."

"Interesting," she said simply, and took an experimental bite.

"So, how was it? Hearing it on the radio isn't nearly as good as actually seeing it," her mother asked.

"It was okay," Arael said, reminding herself of how out of it she'd been and suddenly losing her appetite.

"That's all you're going to say? Shiro Shinobi made it sound like you were doing fantastic out there!" her father added.

"I wouldn't say that…"

"And Mako, he was on fire out there! Why don't you ever have the boys over for dinner anymore? They're both so handsome, don't you have any interest in either of them?" her mother pried.

"Mother!" Arael whined, her ivory cheeks going pink. Lately, her mother had been pushing for her to find somebody she might settle down with in the future. "They're just friends."

"Yes, honey. They're just friends," her father reinforced, giving his wife a pointed look.

"Well, if you ask me, that Mako is extremely hands-"

"Mom!" Arael interrupted in disbelief. Her mother gave her a sly smile before looking down at her plate.

"Arael, don't listen to your mother. If you're going to settle down with any man, make sure he can support you. I don't want my daughter gallivanting around with some street rat who gets into anything shady."

"Dad!" Arael choked out as she swallowed a piece of unagi. She reached for a glass of water to wash it down before fixing her blue eyes on her father. "Mako and Bolin aren't street rats. They're trying to make an honest living off of Pro-Bending."

Tokin sighed and shook his head, turning his eyes down to his plate and letting a thick silence fall over the table. So that was how he really felt about her friends. She set her fork down and pushed her chair back, starting to get up.

"Sit down," her father commanded and she stopped, shooting a glare at him. As if knowing the family needed a distraction, the doorbell rang. They sat in tense silence and a few moments later, a butler led both Mako and Bolin into the dining room.

"Masters Mako and Bolin," he announced with a bow before leaving the room.

"Uh, hey Arael. I was wondering…" Mako trailed off, his golden eyes taking in the dinner scene before him and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Well, I was hoping your invitation for dinner was still open…"

Tokin sent a dark look at his daughter and she swiftly looked at her mother. The older woman gave her family a stern glance and then waved a hand at the brothers. "Come, sit," she told them, a warm smile on her lips.

Arael let out a breath and gave the brothers a weak smile. Bolin grinned and sat by her and Mako took the seat next to her mother. Moments later, a servant came in and brought dishes for the new arrivals, excusing themselves quickly.

"Excuse my daughter's indecency," Arael's mother said, giving her daughter an almost disapproving look. "She didn't have time to change before dinner."

"That's okay. We see her like that every day," Bolin said. It took him a moment to realize what he had said and he at least had the decency to look flustered. "I mean, you know…uh, when we're training and all…wow unagi!"

Mako sighed and Tokin sent Bolin a glare from the end of the table.

"So, boys. How was the match?" her mother asked, attempting to ease the tension that still hung over the table.

Arael managed to tune out Bolin's voice as he excitedly told her mother a play-by-play, with Mako politely adding in a few things here and there. Instead, she glanced at her father, who seemed to be alternating glares between her, Mako, and Bolin. He used to like the brothers until Shady Shin let slip that they had been working with the Triple Threat Triad during a hearing. After that, he had never treated the brothers the same. He kept this cool indifference around them when he used to treat them almost like his own sons and it got on Arael's nerves.

She noticed Mako staring at her, an obvious attempt to get her attention. His golden eyes flicked from her to her father and back, and she gave him a small shake of her head. Over the years, they had figured out their own little ways to silently communicate and read each other. It was essential in any Pro-Bending match and it was great for trying to get a silent message across the table when her parents were in the room.

"Well, that was a great dinner. I think we should get going, though," Mako said, his golden eyes flicking to Bolin as he attempted to get the message across.

"But I'm still-" Arael gave him a swift kick under the table. "Ah! I'm done too!"

Arael sighed silently in partial amusement. Eventually Bolin would figure out the code.

"I'll walk you to the door," Arael offered, sliding her chair back again and ignoring her father's dirty look.

"Sorry. I didn't realize you were in the middle of a fight," Mako said once they reached the door.

"It's okay. I did invite you."

"It's just-"

"I know Mako. You don't have to explain it to me," she said, mustering a smile. She figured that they probably didn't have enough money for a good meal at the moment. "Goodnight."

Mako gave her one last wary look before following Bolin out the door. She shut it behind her and leaned against it, blowing a few strands of dark hair out of her face.

"Arael!" her father called and she huffed, making her way to the dining room. "What was that?"

"I invited them for din-"

"Who said you could do that? This is my house, my food."

"Tokin…" her mother began.

"Hush, Latia." He turned to his daughter, his expression angry. "I don't think you realize what kind of trouble you can get me in by tramping around with those-"

"I wasn't tramping around, Dad!"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking to you!"

Arael clenched her teeth, holding his stony gaze. After a few heartbeats, she turned on her heels and stormed away, stomping up the staircase to her room.

* * *

"I don't know if I want you going to the arena today," Tokin said, his voice gruff as he stood unmoving in front of the front door.

"But daddy! It's our last match before the championship tournament! I can't not go! Mako and Bolin are depending on me!" Arael argued.

"Then maybe they'll have to find somebody else. My decision is final. You aren't leaving this house."

Arael's fists clenched at her side and she turned on her heels to storm away. He couldn't do this! Just because he didn't like her friends all of a sudden didn't mean he could punish her from Pro-Bending. She climbed the staircase, a plan forming in her mind.

First, she would go to her room. If she waited a few minutes, eventually he would leave the door. Then she could get out.

She collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling, counting down the seconds in her mind. Once she felt she had waited long enough, she tiptoed to her door and silently pushed it open. She waited, listening to the movement through the house. When she didn't hear anybody near by, she moved quickly down the hallway.

"I don't see why you're so hard on her, Tokin."

Her mother's voice gave her pause and she pressed back against the wall near their door.

"Because I don't want her tramping around with those street rats!"

"Tokin, you used to like those boys! What happened? Is it those things Shady Shin told you at the trial?"

"It's not just that. Did you see the way she and Mako were exchanging looks at the table? We need to crush any embers between them before they get a chance to turn into flames."

"Honey, what's wrong if she likes somebody? She's old enough to start thinking about settling down."

His heavy sigh was audible even through the cracked door. "I want to make sure my baby girl has someone who can support her when we're gone. She could at least find somebody who's a little more…substantial."

Arael sighed and turned away, done with eavesdropping on this conversation. She quietly made her way down the stairs and stopped when she noticed the butler placed by the door. Great, he had a minion to report to him. She didn't even acknowledge the man as she turned toward the kitchen. There was more than one way out of a mansion. When she entered the kitchen, she noticed it was conveniently empty and she smiled to herself as she moved through the kitchen. The back door was rarely used by the family and she figured her father didn't think to cover this one. Once she was safely outside, she jogged to her Satomobile, realizing she had fifteen minutes to get to the arena, which happened to be twenty minutes away.

"Crap," she muttered under her breath. She gunned the engine and floored the pedal, peeling out of the driveway with a loud screech of tires. She knew her parents would definitely hear that. But she couldn't focus on that now. She needed to drive and fast. Turning onto the main road, she weaved through traffic, trying to navigate and speed at the same time. Eventually, she made it to what had to be the front of the line of Satomobiles. She grinned to herself and picked up speed, now home free.

What she didn't notice was the pair of headlights coming toward her from the upcoming intersection. Seconds before the Satomobiles collided, she hit the brakes, but it was too late. The screeching of tires and the loud crunch of metal twisting sounded through the night air, along with Arael's scream. She was thrown violently against the side of the car as it rolled, leaving sparks behind it in its wake. When it finally settled, her chest heaved as she attempted to catch her breath. Something was pressing on her. She lifted her head, noticing she was trapped under the side of the car. Somehow, she had been thrown halfway out the window and now her lower half was trapped and she could see her leg was bent at an awkward angle just under it. Groaning in pain, she let her head fall back, looking up at the dark sky. She could feel a sticky trail of blood slowly oozing down the side of her face from a cut on her forehead and her last thought before the world faded was how much Mako was going to hate her for missing the match.

* * *

Mako glanced up briefly as Korra entered the locker room, letting his head drop when he saw it was her. He would have paid a million yuans to see Arael's face. She wasn't here and their match was going to start in five minutes. It wasn't like her to not show up.

"I didn't miss your match, did I? You guys look like you lost your match already," Korra said and he turned his face away from her. Why wasn't Arael here? _She must be angry about last night, _he thought to himself. _And now she wants to get back at us by not showing up._ So that was her plan. Get them disqualified for getting her in trouble. He knew she could be stubborn sometimes, but this was going too far. She had finally crossed a line.

"Arael's a no-good no-show!" he growled, throwing his helmet angrily to the floor.

"You have two minutes to come out ready to play or you're disqualified," one of the referees said, poking his head into the locker room door to deliver the message and then continuing on.

"Well, there goes our shot at the tournament…and the winnings," Mako said, hanging his head in disappointment.

"Can't you ask one of those guys to fill in?" Korra asked, pointing at the other team changing near by.

"Nah, the rules say you can only compete on one team," Bolin replied.

"Well then…how about me? I'm a top-notch waterbender, if I do say so myself," she suggested.

"But you're the Avatar. Isn't that cheating?" Bolin asked.

"It isn't cheating if I only do waterbending," she replied with a sly grin.

"No way, I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there," Mako said. Korra had no idea what the rules were or how to play, and they couldn't teach her everything in five minutes.

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," Korra retorted angrily. He only gave her a scowl in return.

"Time's up. You in or out?" the ref asked, returning to the doorway.

"We're in!" Korra said before Mako could even open his mouth.

"We are?" he asked in frustration.

"Yes!" Bolin said, pumping his fist in the air. Mako sighed, knowing this meant a lot to his brother. And he wouldn't admit it, but it meant a lot to him too.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this!" he called after them as they raced to the lockers.

"You can thank me later!" Korra called behind her shoulder.

"This girl is crazy," he muttered to himself before slowly following after them.

* * *

**A/N: What'd you think? R&R!**


	2. The Revelation

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long wait. For some reason, my creativity isn't flowing too well. Anyway, I finally have the second chapter for you.**

* * *

Mako sucked in a deep breath and lifted his hand to ring the bell of the Gan Ling mansion, his rage simmering on the inside. After Arael had missed the most important match they had ever played, he had decided he was going to give her a piece of his mind, not just because she had failed the team, but because she had let down her best friends. If Korra hadn't come along, they would've been dropped out of the tournament and he and Bolin would end up in the streets until the next Pro-Bending season. How could she do that kind of thing to them? Sometimes she could be such a spoiled brat with these stupid temper tantrums. If she only knew-

"Mako!" Latia cried, falling into his arms in a sobbing mess and pulling him from his thoughts. He just barely managed to catch her and a look of confusion and discomfort crossed his features. The Gan Ling family rarely answered the door and Latia Gan Ling never appeared anything but composed and polite in front of anyone. Something had to be wrong if she was in this state and answering the door.

"My baby! She won't wake up! I thought you were a healer. Why aren't you a healer? She needs more than the doctors have done," she wailed, clutching at his shirt. He tried to pull her away and make sense of what she was saying, but she clung tightly to him, sobbing into his shoulder. All he could do was awkwardly pat her back.

"Mrs. Gan Ling, what's going on?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Latia! You shouldn't be out here," Tokin's voice rumbled and he appeared out of the doorway, pulling his sobbing wife to him. "Come in, Mako."

Mako followed the councilmen as he guided his wife in, feeling uncomfortable and starting to get worried when he noticed Tokin's eyes were red-rimmed from crying as well. "What's going on? Where's Arael?"

At his questions, Latia let out another wail and Tokin gently hushed her, glancing at Mako sadly. "In her room. She was in an accident last night and she won't wake up. Go see her. She needs you."

Mako nodded and tried to ignore the fact that one of the strongest men he had met and looked up to was broken before him. In a confused daze, he climbed the stairwell and walked down the hallway to Arael's room. Resisting the urge to knock, he pushed the door open, half-expecting to see Arael lazing around on her bed with a newspaper or something and smiling at him. Instead, the room was silent and on the bed, Arael was tucked under a down comforter, looking small under the large blanket. He swallowed hard and moved slowly toward the bed, still trying to register the fact that his best friend was hurt. He settled down into a chair that had been pulled up to the side of the bed and reached for her hand, grimacing at how cold it was. Her raven hair was spread out across the pillow and her face looked serene and vulnerable, carrying none of the cool confidence she usually had.

"She was on her way to you, ya know. I forbid her from going to the arena but she went anyway."

His head snapped up in surprise and found Tokin wearing a lost expression as he stood in the doorway.

"If I let her go, she wouldn't have been in such a rush. This…this is all my fault," the older man whimpered, his voice cracking. He turned away down the hall and Mako tried to block out the sobs he could hear fading away.

He looked down at her arm noticing the cuts and scrapes that had been partially healed. This…this was why she hadn't come? Guilt instantly washed over him at the horrible thoughts he'd had of her. He'd been busy worrying about a dumb tournament while his best friend in the entire world had been suffering and could have died. She could die now. With how cold she was, she could be dead. His eyes fell to her still form and he waited silently until he was sure he could see the faint rise and fall of the blankets.

He let out a sigh of relief and reached over to gently brush her hair away from her face, his fingers grazing the bandage on her forehead. She looked so fragile, like any sudden movement he made would break her. A new feeling began to wash over him and suddenly, he knew. He would do everything in his power to protect her, anything to keep her safe from ever ending up like this again.

"Arael," he whispered, running his thumb gently over her palm. "Please wake up."

* * *

Arael's footsteps were silent as she wondered through the forest, feeling slightly confused. Why was she here? And where was she? She needed to get to the arena for the match before the Fire Ferrets were disqualified. Maybe if she kept walking, she could get out of this place and figure out where she was. Continuing on, she pushed through the thick vines and lush greenery, pausing every now and then when she heard a rustle in the bushes or a distant noise.

This didn't make any sense. Where the hell was she? She tried to remember what she was doing before she got here, but every memory was fuzzy and undecipherable. The only clear memory she had was needing to get to the arena and being where she started in the forest. This was crazy. It had to be a dream or something. A sound near by startled her and she started running, trying not to trip over tree roots or bushes.

Eventually, she stumbled and fell, her breath hissing through her teeth as a branch snagged on her arm and left a cut on her ivory skin. Okay, so she wasn't dreaming. Which meant that all of the animals making noise around her could possibly hurt her. She glanced around and was relieved to see a clear pool of water only a short distance away. If she stayed here, she could protect herself. She eased a stream of water towards herself and coated her hands in it. Maybe if she was stuck here, she should try to learn how to heal. She moved the water to her fresh cut and gasped as more cuts began to appear along her arm. This couldn't be happening; she hadn't touched anything else since her fall! She let the water fall away and noticed more cuts and bruises appearing on her other arm. They all throbbed with the same pulsating burn and she yelped, scrambling to her feet. A cry of pain escaped her as one of her legs buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to the ground and causing a spear of fiery pain to stab through her. Tears welled in her eyes and she couldn't move. What was happening to her?

"Arael, please wake up."

Arael gasped awake, her body still feeling like it was on fire. She groaned in pain and opened her eyes, her vision fuzzy.

"Arael?" a familiar voice said, sounding extremely worried.

"Mako?" she asked, her voice raspy from her dry throat. "I hurt so much"

"Shh, your okay," he said gently and she blinked to clear her vision when she felt his hand brush her cheek.

"What happened?" she asked, her thoughts and memories muddled.

"You crashed your car, remember?"

She tilted her head and fixed her clear blue eyes on him, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she tried to get her thoughts in order. She remembered needing to get to the arena…Her face paled as a realization hit her. "You weren't disqualified, were you?"

The worry in his golden eyes faded and he let out a soft chuckle. "You're laying here broken and you're worried about whether we got disqualified or not?"

"I'm not broken," she retorted and started to push herself up. That resulted in fiery pain shooting up her leg and she cried out. Mako gently pushed her back down, his touch light but firm.

"Arael, this really isn't the time to prove a point. Sorry if I offended you."

She sighed in annoyance at the small glimmer of amusement in his eyes and closed her own. "Fine, but I want to know." She reopened her eyes and fixed them on him, noticing the uncertainty that crossed his features.

"We weren't disqualified," he sighed and looked away. "Korra stepped in."

"Oh," she said softly. "How'd she do?"

"We won," he answered, returning his gaze to her. His golden eyes still held uncertainty and she assumed he was worried about her reaction. Honestly, she was jealous that the Avatar could so easily step in and do well. She had been training for Pro-Bending for two years. Korra had been a last minute sign up and had helped her team win. She managed to keep her emotions in check, though, and gave him a small smile.

"I'm glad," she told him sincerely. She was glad her best friends had managed to stay in the tournament even though she hadn't been there to help them.

"Now that that's off your mind, you should get some rest. I'll go get your mom and dad. They'll probably want to know you're awake."

"Mako, wait," she said, clinging to his hand. He stopped his attempt to get up and looked down at her. "Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me."

He gave her a small smile and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You're my best friend. I wouldn't be anywhere else. I'll be back tomorrow," he said before leaving the room, casting one last glance back at her.

She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the pain throbbing through her. Mako had been a good distraction, but now that he was gone, she was fully aware of the fiery pain that seemed to touch every inch of her body.

* * *

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned forward in his seat at the small table in their apartment, trying to brainstorm ways to earn the thirty thousand yuans they needed by the end of the week. He could get a job at the power plant, maybe work part time at a shop, do some errands for someone-

"Why don't we just ask Arael if she could pay for it?" Bolin interjected into his thoughts, munching loudly on whatever he was eating.

"Because her parents are worrying about paying off the medical bills from the accident," Mako replied, opening his eyes to look at Bolin. "I can't just ask her for money when there sort of having a family crisis."

"But they've got loads of cash. I'm sure thirty thousand yuans is nothing."

"Bo, we've already borrowed enough money from her. We need to figure this out ourselves."

"Well she _is_ part of the team," Bolin grumbled.

"She can't play in the finals. Her leg is broken."

"Oh yeah…"

"Don't worry. I'll figure it out like I always do."

* * *

"Ta da!" Bolin said with a flourish as Pabu finished the trick they had worked on. The distinctive clatter of coins landing in his cup caused him to look up at the generous donation. "Thank you very mu-oh, hey Arael. What are you doing out of the house?"

The waterbender smiled down at him and he got to his feet, taking in her crutches. "I just needed to get away from my mother before she smothered me to death. Besides, I'm feeling a lot better. What's with the sideshow?"

"Oh, just a little something Pabu and I have been working on to earn money for the, uh," he began to stumble over his words, realizing he probably shouldn't mention the entry price for the tournament to her. "For, the…uh, car I wanted."

"A car?" she asked skeptically. "Bo, what would you do with a car?"

"Pff, drive it of course! What else do you do with a car?" He glanced down at her injured leg. "Besides crash it and all…"

"Bolin," she laughed, swatting his arm and receiving a grin in response.

Their conversation came to a stop when a red Satomobile pulled up to the curb and Shady Shin stepped out. "Bolin, is that you?"

"Oh, hey Shady Shin," Bolin said nervously, glancing at Arael and then moving almost instinctively to stand in front of her as the well known gang member approached.

"Heard you're a big time Pro-Bending player now. Not bad."

"Uh…thanks."

"So listen, I've got an offer for you. Lighting Bolt Zolt is looking to hire some extra muscle."

"Bo," Arael warned quietly, causing Shin to glance at her.

"Don't worry, princess. It's just a little security work. Nothin' crooked," he sneered, pulling out a stack of yuans and flashing them at Bolin. The earthbender's eyes grew big at the sight of the cash. That could definitely help with the money they needed. He hesitated and glanced back at his friend, afraid to take the offer.

"If he goes, I'm coming too," Arael said firmly.

"You kiddin'? You ain't worth nothin' with those sticks," Shin retorted.

"Arael, maybe it'd be best if you stayed out of this," Bolin said warily.

"Yeah, _Arael_," Shin spat.

"Bolin, I'm not letting you get mixed up in this again. Either I come or you don't go."

"She ain't the boss of you, kid."

Bolin glanced between the two, torn between needing the money and his loyalty to his friend. He knew what her reaction was going to be if he went with Shady Shin. But he needed the money more.

"I'll do it. But she has to come too," he said, afraid to betray Arael completely.

"Whatever. I was just told to come find you. Get in the car," Shin grunted, walking back to the red Satomobile and hopping into the driver's seat. Arael glared at Bolin and smacked the back of his leg with a crutch before getting into the car as well.

_Mako is so going to kill me for this,_ he thought to himself before getting in after her.

"Are you stupid or somethin'? You brought the councilman's daughter to our hideout!" Arael heard from the other room. She shifted uncomfortably on the fraying couch, glancing around the room at the various Triple Threat Triad gang members staring at her either with disgust or something worse. She shifted her gaze to Bolin, who was sitting beside her and wringing his hands. She couldn't believe he had actually agreed to come back to this place after the trouble the brothers had gotten into a couple years ago. Right now, she was totally pissed off at him and she knew he knew it by the way he avoided looking at her. Whatever he needed the money for, she hoped it was worth it. She wasn't stupid enough to fall for the car story.

"Well, this is nice," Bolin said to break the tension in the air, something he always did.

Not a second after the words had left his mouth, the back door burst open and a horde of Equalist chi-blockers filtered in. The hideout erupted into chaos as the Triple Threats jumped up to defend themselves from the onslaught. Bolin leaped to his feet and pulled Arael to hers quickly, using his earthbending to defend them. She glanced around desperately for any form of water to protect herself with and by the time her gaze returned to her friend, the chi-blocker had him immobilized and grabbed her arm, realizing she wasn't in a state to bend anyways. He hoisted her onto his shoulders and directed another Equalist to grab Bolin. Desperate to get away, Arael banged her fists against his back and kicked her good leg. The chi-blocker only jostled her and she cried out in pain as it sent a painful rattle through her broken leg, falling limp in defeat. He wasn't exactly gentle as he stuffed her into the back of their metal truck, leaving her to push herself up against the side next to Bolin.

She was thrown against him as the truck peeled away with screeching tires, the Equalists not even bothering to shut the back doors. Pushing herself up again, she moved to untie the gag stuffed into Bolin's mouth, trying not to panic.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly, getting to work on the rope binding his hands. The Equalists hadn't exactly been smart by leaving her unbound.

"Just dandy," he replied, struggling against the rope. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, they just jostled my leg a bit," she replied, growing frustrated with the complicated knot. "Damn it, stop moving!"

Bolin froze and then sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get us in this mess."

Arael bit back an "I told you so" and a sigh escaped her own lips. "Everything's gonna be fine, Bolin. Don't worry."

They were thrown against each other again as the truck came to a stop and moments later, a group of chi-blockers pulled the doors completely open and began to haul out the captured Triple Threat members. Arael gave up fumbling with the rope and didn't even bother struggling against the Equalist that hauled her out of the van on his shoulder. It was embarrassing being carried around like a sack, but at least they weren't forcing her to walk.

The Equalists took them to a room bare of any furniture and forced them to their knees. Arael bit back a cry as her bad leg hit the floor. Bolin glanced at her, his green eyes filled with uncertainty. She knew the look was reflected in her own blue orbs, but she had no further words of comfort for him. She had no idea what would happen to them.

"That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away, permanently," a deep voice rumbled through the wall.

Arael's eyes widened at the words and she realized who was speaking. It had to be Amon, the Equalist leader that had been stirring up trouble in the city recently. She glanced down the line and saw that the chi-blockers were taking the gang members through a door. Soon they reached her and Bolin and she was half-dragged through the door and into a blinding light. She squinted and blinked a few times only to see a crowd of over a hundred people staring up at her. Glancing around, she realized she was on a stage and standing only a few feet away was the masked man she had seen posters of throughout the city. Her eyes widened in fear at the sight, his words registering in her ears. _"The power to take a person's bending away, permanently."_

"Now for a demonstration," Amon said, gesturing toward their line on the stage. "Please welcome Lighting Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City."

The crowd erupted into boos and Arael looked over at Bolin, his expression showing how terrified he was. She returned her gaze to Lightning Bolt Zolt, afraid to see what was going to occur on the stage.

"Now in the interest of fairness I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending," Amon was saying as she returned her attention to him.

"You're gonna regret doing that, pal," Zolt said smugly.

_Amon is crazy! How can he expect to beat a bender?_ she asked herself, almost afraid to learn the answer. Zolt threw a few fireballs at Amon and she watched in frightened awe as the Equalist leader side-stepped and leapt out of the way of each one gracefully, his ghostly mask hiding his expression. She flinched as Zolt spewed lightning and knew there was no way Amon could make it through this battle unscathed. But he avoided the attack and in one swift movement had Zolt on his knees with the Equalist leader's thumb pressed to his forehead. The lightning sputtered as if struggling to stay alive, then gave way to fire, which eventually guttered out completely. The gang leader was released and he fell forward, collapsing to the ground. He attempted to get up and punched at Amon. No fire escaped his fists.

"What did you do to me?" the man asked in a terrified voice.

"You're firebending is gone. Forever."

A collective gasp escaped the crowd, striking fear through Arael's heart and she knew then that she had lied to Bolin. Everything was _not_ going to be fine. Tears sprung to her eyes and she bowed her head, feeling defeated. Her life had taken a turn for the worst in the past couple of days. First the accident, now her bending. She would stand no chance against Amon with a broken leg. And there didn't seem to be any water she could fight him with.

"Come on, Arael, don't cry. We'll make it through this," Bolin whispered to her, although it wasn't convincing with how his voice shook. She took little comfort in his words as Shady Shin was hauled onto the stage, leaving one more gang member before her.

Closing her eyes, she tried to block out Shin's gasp as he too lost his bending. She heard the man next to her being taken away and too soon, she was being hauled to her feet and half-dragged to the front of the stage.

She opened her eyes to see Amon across the stage from her, his expressionless mask sending a shiver of fear up her spine. This would be the last face she saw before she became a shell of who she used to be, losing who she was when he took her bending away.

"Councilmen Tokin's daughter. You will make a great example for the leaders of Republic City."

Taking a deep breath, she slid into the best waterbending pose she could and used her bending to try and sense some form of liquid. Feeling a slight pull, she used a small wave of her arms to bring it to her, discovering somebody had brought a cup of tea with them. Amon stood still, waiting for her to make the first move.

How could she stall this? Shifting her good leg forward, she sent the small amount of liquid soaring through the air toward the Equalist leader, aiming for his feet. Before she could even freeze the water, he side-stepped her attack and started toward her slowly, as if he enjoyed how terrified she was. She brought the liquid back and this time she didn't hold back, freezing it into small spears and sending it shooting through the air toward him. Without stopping, Amon swiped the icy daggers out of the air with a swift movement of his arm, sending them cascading to the floor.

"You're all out of water," he said menacingly.

Unable to move, she stood her ground, shaking in fear as he finally reached her.

A loud bang sounded through the room and he looked back as steam began to fill the room. Returning his gaze to her, she could just barely see his onyx eyes through the mask. "Don't think you're safe just yet," he said before stepping back and disappearing into the fog.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and she pivoted on her good leg, nearly crashing into Mako as he pulled her toward him.

"Mako!" she gasped, more relieved than ever to see him. He didn't say anything as he lifted her into his arms, bumping his brother with his elbow to direct him toward an exit. Arael clutched to his shirt, burying her face into his shoulder when she realized she was safe. Mako had come to rescue them, just like he always did when they got into bad situations.

They exited out onto a balcony, the steam following them out of the door. Mako let out a frustrated grunt when he saw they had to use a ladder.

"Arael, grab onto my back," he told her, and with his help she managed to quickly wrap her arms around his neck and slide around to his back, wrapping her good leg around his waist. Bolin was already halfway down the ladder when they started their decent, and she clung tightly as Mako moved down the bars quickly. Glancing up, Arael saw one of the Equalists stop at the top of the ladder and pull out two kali sticks. They sparked with electricity and she let out a gasp.

"Guys look out!"

The Equalist pressed the kali sticks down onto the top of the ladder and an electric current raced its way toward the trio. Mako cried out as the electricity jolted through him and slipped off the ladder. Managing to twist in the air during the fall, he ended up hitting the ground first and cushioning Arael from further injury. The air was knocked out of her and she swore she heard a crack underneath her. She scrambled off of him and before she could even worry about him being okay, he was pushing himself to his feet and taking a firebending stance in front of her. She scooted back on the ground, unable to get up after the stress her broken leg had been through already.

The Equalist leapt down from the balcony and landed in front of the firebender, holding his kali sticks menacingly as they crackled with electricity. Mako made the first move, sending a ball of flame at the man. They erupted into a flurry of fire and electricity and Arael could barely keep up with it until Mako cried out in pain, crumpling to the ground.

"You benders need to understand there's no place for you in the world anymore," the Equalist growled before being distracted by an earthbending attack.

Arael ignored the battle that ensued and crawled over to Mako. He let out a groan of pain and she reached out to touch his cheek.

"You okay?" she asked, her blue eyes filling with concern.

"Yeah. It just hurt like hell," he replied, pushing himself up.

"Guys come on!" Korra ordered, riding up next to them on a polar bear dog. Mako pushed himself to his feet and reached for Arael, lifting her onto the beast's back before climbing up himself. Korra nudged the creature onward and it grabbed Bolin in its mouth before taking off down the street, leaving the Equalists behind them.

Arael slumped back against Mako, relieved to have finally escaped that awful place. He didn't protest, instead wrapping his arms around her to keep her more secure on the creature's back. At that moment, she was extremely glad she had friends she could rely on.

Korra pulled the polar bear dog to a stop outside of the arena, glancing back at them. "I need to tell Tenzin about this."

Mako nodded and slid to the ground, reaching up to help Arael down. He cradled her in his arms and started toward the door, walking up the stairs after Bolin. On any other day, she would protest to this. But right now she was too shaken to argue. She had nearly lost her bending.

"I need to use a phone and call my parents," she told him, realizing how late it was.

He paused and looked down at her, sighing. "I should take you home."

"No, just let me call them. They don't need to know about this or I'll never be able to leave the house again."  
He held her gaze for a moment before changing direction and walking toward Butakha's office. The owner of the Pro-Bending arena wasn't there and he took her to the desk.

"Mako, you can put me down now," she said and he set her down, his cheeks turning red.

"Sorry," he muttered and she smirked at him.

Grabbing the earpiece and holding it to her ear, she waited for the operator. "Tokin Gan Ling," she said into the mouthpiece when they asked where to direct the call. She heard the line switch and moments later her father picked up.

"Hello? This is Councilmen Tokin."

"Daddy?"

"Arael. Oh spirits! Where the hell are you?"

"I went for a walk and ran into Bolin. He invited me out to dinner with him, Mako, and Korra and I never had a chance to call," she lied.

"You had dinner with the Avatar?" he asked, sounding a little impressed.

"Yeah. I didn't realize how late it was, so instead of hopping home, I'm going to stay at the arena tonight," she told him, not even bothering to ask.

There was a long pause before her father finally spoke. "Okay, honey. I don't want you walking home this late anyway. Tell the boys I said hi. I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

She hung up before he could change his mind and glanced up at Mako. "Up for a sleepover?"

He sighed and a tired smile spread on his lips. "As long as I don't have to save you and Bolin again."

Slinging her arm over his shoulder, he helped her limp the rest of the way up to their attic apartment. She collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "Bolin, you are never allowed to do anything for the Triple Threats again."

"There's no Triple Threats to go back to," he replied grimly, sitting down beside her.

Lifting her head, she met his green eyes and saw the shadow of fear in them from their encounter with Amon. Suddenly, it all hit her like a wave, and she realized she had almost lost her bending. She had been moments away from losing everything she loved. If Mako and Korra hadn't come...The weight of the situation crashed down around her and it was just all too much. She couldn't fake being okay anymore. A few tears slid down her cheeks before a sob escaped her. Sturdy arms wrapped around her as Bolin pulled her close, letting her cry into his chest. She took comfort in her friend's arms, feeling completely safe after such a terrifying experience.

* * *

Mako leaned against the wall beside the couch, watching his brother comfort Arael. He tried to swallow the pang of jealousy he felt, realizing how ridiculous it was. They had just been through one of the scariest moments of their lives and he was jealous that his brother had gotten to share it with her. He was such an idiot. Looking away, he crossed his arms, the memory of Arael still leaving a tingle on them. He had gotten to hold her and carry her away from that horrifying place. She had sought comfort in him earlier, when they were riding Naga. There was no reason for him to be jealous. But still, he couldn't help it. He wanted to protect her, to comfort her himself. He had made himself a promise that he wouldn't let her get hurt again, but here she was, sobbing because she had almost lost her bending. He was doing a great job so far.

Pushing off the wall, he walked to the small bathroom, unable to ignore the dull throbbing in his chest anymore. He had to have broken a rib or something from that fall off the ladder. Something had snapped and being electrocuted twice hadn't dulled the pain. He reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bandage roll they normally used for injuries from Pro-Bending. Before Korra had come, they hadn't really needed to use these for anything else. After befriending the Avatar, their world had been turned upside down. First Arael, now Bolin. He didn't like the way things were suddenly growing worse. No, he couldn't blame Korra for this. The Equalist movement was bound to rise whether she came or not. It was just a matter of time.

Sighing, he pulled off his shirt, wincing when he saw the bruises forming on his chest. There was a circle in the middle where the kali stick had electrocuted him and another was forming at the bottom of his ribcage. One of them had definitely broken.

He turned around at a knock on the door, finding Arael leaning heavily on the doorframe. "Can I come in?" she asked. He nodded and didn't protest when she took the bandaging tape from him. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she looked better after getting it out of her system.

"You should really stay off that leg," he told her, lifting his arms so she could wrap the bandages around his chest. A sigh escaped her and he looked down when she paused.

"At this rate, I don't think I'm going to be able to walk again."

"Did you hurt it?" he asked, remembering the heart stopping moment when he had seen her pushed to her knees on the stage before him.

"They knocked it around a bit," she replied, resuming bandaging him.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he reassured her. "You're tough."

She ripped off the end of the bandage and set it on the edge of the sink, looking down at her feet. "Not as tough as I thought," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Arael…" he started, but stopped when he noticed the fresh tears falling down her cheeks. Wordlessly, he pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"I was so scared," she whimpered and he hushed her, stroking her raven hair.

"You were brave. You faced Amon alone."

"But if you and Korra hadn't shown up-"

"Hey," he said firmly, pulling back to cup her chin and force her to look up at him. "Not even Korra has faced him yet. He was a coward to face you at your weakest. If we had been in the arena, you could easily have taken him."

She held his gaze for a moment before nodding and hugging him tightly. "Thanks Mako. You're the greatest friend anyone could have."

He felt his heart fall slightly at her words, realizing that even after all that, he still was only a friend to her. But he deserved it for being unable to protect her.

"Thanks," he said anyway, masking the disappointment he felt. She was safe and that was all that mattered.

* * *

**A/N: Since I'm following the series and so far each chapter has been one episode, I think I'm just going to name the chapters after the episodes they follow. Very original, right? Again, sorry for the long wait. R&R!**


	3. The Voice in the Night

**Author's Note: I am very aware that Hasook is a guy. The "she" in the summary is referring to the noun "waterbender", not Hasook. I just thought I would clear that up. I apologize for the confusion if that offended anyone, but I honestly don't think the summary degrades the writing within.**

* * *

Mako wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked out of the factory door, pausing to adjust his scarf around his neck. At this rate, he was never going to make enough for the tournament. Agitated with their dilemma, he glanced up, noticing that the trolley that would get him home was about to leave. Without looking both ways, he ran towards it.

The screeching of tires was his only warning before he was knocked back with a grunt of pain. He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his head where it had collided with the pavement, relieved to see no blood.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" a girl, presumably the rider, apologized.

Glancing over at her, he scowled. He was irritable after a long day's work and this was not what he needed when he was stressing about the tournament. "How could you not see me? I mean, I was jus-juss..." He began to trail off as the girl removed her helmet and goggles, growing tongue-tied at the pretty face behind them. "I was…I…I…wow."

He cleared his throat and got to his feet, his cheeks going red at his inability to speak. Brushing himself off, he avoided looking at her momentarily out of embarrassment.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I am such an idiot."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. My brother hits me harder than that every day in practice," he reassured her, finding the courage again to look down at her.

"Wait, I recognize you. You're Mako, right? You play for the Fire Ferrets," she said, her emerald eyes lighting up with recognition.

"Yeah, that's me," he confirmed nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.

"I am so embarrassed," she said, covering up her face with her hands. She pulled them away and offered one to him, recovering quickly from her star struck-ness. "My name's Asami. Let me make it up to you somehow. Uh, how about I treat you to dinner? Tomorrow night, eight o'clock, Kuang's Cuisine."

"Uh, Kuang's? I don't have any clothes nice enough for a place that classy," he admitted, thoroughly embarrassed now.

"I'll take care of it," Asami said as she pulled on her helmet and goggles again, walking back to her moped. "All you need to do is show up. So, it's a date?"

Mako hesitated, his gut tightening. _What about Arael?_ his heart was shouting at him. She only thought of him as a friend, though. It wasn't like he would be betraying her by going out on one measly date. Besides, Asami was gorgeous. How often did a beautiful girl run over you and then ask you out to dinner? And it wasn't like he could say no as she was walking away. "Uh, yeah. I guess so. I'll see you tomorrow night."

He stepped out of the way as Asami mounted her moped, watching as she rode away. A stream of guilt began to wriggle its way into the back of his mind and he tried to push it away. _It's not like Arael has feelings for me anyway._

* * *

Arael took a deep breath before ascending the stairs, leaning heavily on the railing to keep from putting too much pressure on her soar leg. She had attended scheduled healings mornings and evenings for the past couple of days and now she could walk without the crutches, although it still caused her a little pain to put weight on her bad leg. She was relieved, though, that she was healing properly and her little confrontation with Amon hadn't set back her recovery. There was a chance she could return to the team for the finals.

She limped into the dining room, where her parents waited with plates of food already in front of them.

"Arael, I'm so glad you could join us tonight. It's a relief the doctor took you off of bed rest," her mother gushed and she had to stifle an eye roll. The woman had been constantly flitting about, never giving her any time alone. That was why she had escaped the other day to go find Mako or Bolin. Her mother was smothering her with all of her attention, especially after she had come home from staying the night at the brother's apartment. And that was why she had come to join them for dinner.

"I know," she replied, as she sat down in her chair. "Mother, Dad, I have something I want to say."

"Go ahead, darling," her mother urged.

"I want to move out."

A shocked silence fell over the table and Arael tried not to squirm under the surprised gazes of her parents.

"I don't think-"

"Wait, I'm not finished," she said, cutting her father off. "I'm old enough to be on my own now. I just think that we're getting in each other's way by living together."

"That's not true," her mother said, an expression of hurt crossing her features.

"Mother, please. Dad needs to keep a good image for his job and I need to be around Mako and Bolin for mine. I think it would be less stress on our relationships if I moved out."

"You can't possibly think-"

"Latia, I think she's right," Tokin interrupted, placing one of his large hands over hers. "There's too much tension in this house."

Arael gave her father an appreciative glance as her mother fell silent.

"Although, I think it would put both of us at ease if you at least stayed until you are fully healed. We could always refurnish the guest house to accommodate you until you find a place of your own," he suggested.

"That would be nice," Arael agreed. The guest house was a lot more private than actually living in the house. It even had its own little driveway branching off from the main one.

"It's settled then. We'll get you moved in as soon as possible."

* * *

"Nice place you've got here," Bolin said, flopping down onto the couch in the main living area.

"Yeah, I'm surprised my parents agreed to let me move out," Arael said, sitting down in an arm chair across from him. "Where are Mako and Korra?"

"Mako's got some date tonight and Korra's practicing her airbending. I thought I'd stop by here on my way home from Air Temple Island."

"Oh. Mako's on a date?" she asked skeptically. Never in the ten years she had known the brothers had Mako ever gone out with a girl once. He was always too focused on taking care of Bolin.

"I know, right? That's what I said when he told me. But yes, our dearest Mako has a date with some girl he met yesterday."

"Weird." She stretched out, resting her bad leg on the coffee table in front of her. She didn't know how she felt about that. There was almost a small niggling of jealousy creeping into her gut. She pushed it away, wondering where that had even come from. She and Mako were just friends. So why was she so uncomfortable with him going out with another girl?

"So my dad is making me go to this big party Councilman Tarrlok is throwing in Korra's honor," she said, changing the subject. "It's probably just a plot to get her to join his task force against the Equalists."

"Korra mentioned that. She definitely told me she wasn't going to join it. I sure as hell wouldn't. After that meeting with Amon, I don't really want to go out looking for him."

Arael fell silent, reminded of her encounter with the Equalist leader. There was no way she would ever go looking for Amon, not after she had nearly lost her bending.

"So, want to be my date to the party?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence. She often asked the brothers if they would join her for these stuffy events so she wouldn't have to endure them on her own.

"Sorry, I can't. Some training thingy at the gym," Bolin said, glancing away. "You know, I better get going. It's getting late. See you soon?"

"Sure, I guess," she said slowly, feeling rejected. He gave her a small wave and walked out the door, leaving her alone in the small guest house. She couldn't help thinking that Bolin had left to avoid her. He'd never made an excuse for it being late. And Mako was out on a date with some girl. Suddenly, it seemed like they had less and less time for her when she couldn't participate on the team. Maybe they were just moving on and she was beginning to be forgotten.

* * *

Soft music played in the background as Arael and her parents moved through the large ballroom and she tried not to gag on all of the heavy perfume the women were wearing as she passed by. She hated attending these events with her father. Everyone was so stuffy and pompous.

"Ah, Councilmen Tenzin," her father greeted the airbender and Arael was relieved to see Korra with him. Maybe she wouldn't be too bored tonight.

"Hey," she greeted the Avatar with a smile.

"Hey," Korra returned. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"My father dragged me along," Arael said with a smile. "Dad, this is Avatar Korra. Korra, this is Councilman Tokin."

"It is an honor to meet you personally, Avatar," Tokin said politely.

"Same here," Korra said politely.

"So glad you could make it Avatar Korra," Tarrlok said, walking up and interrupting their conversation. "If you'll excuse us, the city awaits its hero."

Arael frowned at the intrusion but it slipped away as Korra grabbed her wrist, pulling her along with them. Tarrlok didn't seem pleased with the extra person, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he led them over to Hiroshi Sato.

"Korra, it is my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato."

"Nice to meet you," Korra said politely.

Hiroshi fell into a bow. "We're all expecting great things from you."

"Right, greatness," she replied meekly.

"Arael, it's nice seeing you again," he said, nodding his head toward her.

"You too, Mr. Sato. Is Asami here?" she asked, curious if the other girl was around.

"Hey, Korra," Mako called, and Arael turned in surprise to see him there with Asami Sato clinging to his arm. So that was the mysterious girl he had gone out with. He seemed surprised to see her and stopped in his tracks briefly, progressing more slowly toward them. "Hey Arael. I didn't think you'd be here."

She looked past him and a feeling of betrayal shot through her when she saw Bolin with them. She could understand Mako, but Bolin had said he was training. A frown fell on her lips and she looked away from the younger brother, returning her gaze to Hiroshi.

"This is my daughter, Asami," he said, introducing her to Korra.

"It's lovely to meet you. Mako told me so much about you," Asami said to the Avatar. "And Arael, it's so good to see you again. It's been awhile."

"Really, because he hasn't mentioned you at all," Korra said a little aggressively. "How did you two meet?"

"Asami crashed into him on her moped," Bolin interjected before Asami could explain.

"What? Are you okay?" Korra asked with alarm.

"I'm fine. More than fine. Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team. We're back in the tournament!" Mako said excitedly.

"What?" Arael asked in disbelief before she could keep herself quiet. What were they talking about, staying in the tournament?

Mako seemed to realizing again that she was there and suddenly he wouldn't look at her. Bolin had already been avoiding her eye contact, but suddenly he seemed to be trying harder to look everywhere else. Mako untangled himself from Asami and put a hand on Arael's back, leading her away from the rest of the group. He found a corner without too many people and turned to face her, looking uncertain.

"What do you mean Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team?" she asked, unable to hide her anger.

"We needed some money for the tournament," Mako replied timidly.

"How much?"

"Thirty thousand yuans," he muttered.

"What?" she almost shouted in disbelief. She could easily pay that much money for their team. Lowering her voice, she glared at him. "That's why Bolin was getting involved with the Triple Threats? Because you needed some _money_?"

Mako nodded, afraid to answer.

"We went through all of that trouble because _our_ team needed money when you could have come to me?"

"I didn't know Bolin was going to get stupid-"

"Am I even part of this team anymore?"

"I didn't want to bug you after your accident," he said, finding his voice again. "I didn't know Bolin was going to get into trouble."

"Mako, I almost lost my _bending_ because you were afraid to ask me for money!"

A few people nearby turned to look at them and she could see that Mako was growing angry too. "Don't blame that on me. It's not my fault you decided to go with him."

"I was trying to keep him from making a stupid decision!"

"Then don't blame me for this!"

"You didn't answer my question, Mako. Am I a part of this team anymore?" she asked angrily and he fell silent for a few heartbeats.

"I'm not going to boot Korra out after she's worked so hard for this," he growled and turned away, returning to the group and leaving her boiling inside. How could he just kick her off the team like that? She couldn't believe this! Mako was letting Korra take her place. And he was with Asami. The nagging, jealous feeling came back, a lot stronger this time, and she stormed away, finding a different part of the ballroom to fume in, away from her traitorous friends.

* * *

Mako downed the last of his drink quickly and set it on the bar, rubbing his hands over his face as his head began to grow fuzzy. He had excused himself from the party and made his way to a restaurant nearby where he could buy a few cheap drinks. He didn't usually drink, but tonight he needed it with all of the confusion surrounding him. He had kicked Arael off the team. He knew she was pissed off and he felt like such an idiot. How could he have done that to her? It was bad enough that she didn't have feelings for him but now he had probably just torn apart their friendship too.

The bartender brought him another drink and he downed that one quickly. "I think you've had enough, son," he said cautiously and Mako angrily tossed a couple of yuans on the bar before making his way to the door, stumbling a couple of times.

He found himself walking in the direction of Arael's house. The cool night air was helping to clear his thoughts, but his mind was still a little fuzzy from the alcohol. He needed to apologize to her. No, he needed to tell her how he felt. Maybe if she knew, they could fix things. Either way, he was going to talk to her tonight. He had to.

* * *

Arael pulled into the small driveway leading up to the guest house in her new Satomobile her parents had bought her the day before to go along with her new living quarters. She had finally been able to leave the party, which had been torture after her disagreement with Mako. She still couldn't believe he had kicked her off the team.

Getting out of the car, she slammed the door closed a little harder than she had intended and started up to her house. She paused when she saw Mako sitting on the steps, a mixture of feelings rising in her throat. "What are you doing here?"

He got to his feet and took a few steps toward her, his movements a little uncertain. "I came to apologize."

"I don't want to hear it right now," she growled, trying to step around him. He stopped her, trapping her against the car.

"I'm not letting you go inside until you've listened to me," he said firmly.

"Fine, I'm listening," she said angrily, scowling up at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. You know how I can be when I'm angry. I just didn't want you to blame me for what happened the other night. I already blame myself."

"What are you talking about, Mako? It wasn't your fault," she said with a sigh, her anger fading. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and knew she couldn't be angry with him if he had resulted in drinking. He never drank. "You're drunk."

"No. I couldn't protect you. After the car accident, I promised myself I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I realized…I realized that I love you," he admitted, gazing down at her with golden eyes that seemed anything but drunk.

She struggled to find something to say, shocked by his revelation. She hadn't known anything about the secret feelings he harbored for her. Before she could say anything, his lips crushed against hers and she froze, unsure of what to do. She had never been kissed before. But the feeling sent a jolt of electricity through her that chased all her jealous feelings away. Her eyes fell shut and she found her lips moving against his, losing herself in the moment.

But the faint taste of alcohol sent the world crashing back around her and she pushed him away, breaking the kiss and averting her eyes as a faint blush rose on her ivory cheeks. "You're with Asami, Mako. And you're drunk. I don't…this isn't right. We're just friends," she said, struggling to voice her thoughts. A dejected look crossed his face and he slowly backed away from her, his head hanging in rejection. "Come on, I'm not letting you walk home like this."

She walked to the door and pushed it open, watching as he stumbled inside. "You can sleep on the couch. I'll get you a blanket."

She strode into her bedroom and leaned against the door, letting her head fall back against it. She felt…confused. She had never seen Mako as more than her best friend. She loved him, but never in that way. Besides, he was drunk. And he was with Asami. It was just the alcohol talking.

She continued to try to mentally convince herself as she grabbed a blanket off her bed and returned to the other room, finding him curled up on the couch. She tossed the blanket over him and returned to her room, pausing to flip the light off.

"I'm not that drunk," he whispered softly into the darkness and she closed her eyes briefly, walking into her room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

**A/N: I feel so evil hurting Mako's feelings like that! And I feel it's a little OC for Mako to be drinking, so I apologize for that. I'm also annoyed with how short each little passage seems to be, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to add little details like Arael living alone and Mako being drunk. R&R!**


	4. The Spirit of Competition

**Author's Note: Boy do I have a doozy for you! Enjoy, it took me forever to put this together.**

* * *

Arael walked out of her room, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes and raising her arms in a stretch. She paused when she noticed Mako still asleep on her couch, remembering the events of the night before. Moving quietly, she went to the small kitchenette and filled a kettle with water, setting it on the stove to boil. She attempted to be as quiet as she could as she moved around the small space, making breakfast. She was determined to put some sense of normalcy into this day, especially after she had this new emotional confusion weighing on her shoulders. Mako had told her he loved her. He had been drunk but she wasn't naïve. She knew that alcohol could unveil someone's deepest secrets. But she couldn't let anything come between their friendship. They had struggled through so much together, why ruin it because something stupid had happened. They could make it through this.

The sound of a heavy sigh alerted her to Mako waking up. She turned to find him slumped in a chair at the table, his head buried in his hands. Wordlessly, she poured him a cup of steaming hot tea, setting it down in front of him. She returned with two plates of scrambled rooster pig eggs and sat down, her blue eyes flitting to his emotionless form every now and then. He finally moved, reaching for the tea and taking a sip. He focused his golden eyes on her as he set it down and she looked down at her plate, finding it hard to meet his gaze no matter how hard she tried.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No," she replied firmly, not looking up from her plate as she ate. When there was nothing left to distract herself with, she briefly glanced up to find him slowly eating. She got up and set her plate in the sink, moving to the other room when she decided that it was probably best to leave him alone. He was most likely suffering an awful hangover and she figured he was embarrassed and ashamed after last night.

She sat on the edge of her bed, realizing that it was going to be harder to pretend nothing happened than she thought. A few minutes later, she heard Mako in the bathroom and a sigh escaped her. Getting to her feet, she tapped lightly on the door.

"Go away," he said harshly.

She took a deep breath and stepped in, finding him crouched in front of the toilet. Ignoring his protest, she sat beside him and gently rubbed his back, looking away until he was done. He leaned back against the wall beside her, closing his eyes.

"Do you want to go lay down on the couch again?" she asked softly.

"No. Can I just be alone? Please."

She got to her feet and left, busying herself with cleaning up small things around the house. When he didn't come out after an hour, she returned to the doorway to find him curled up on the floor. Hesitantly, she stepped into the bathroom and sat next to him.

"I just want to be alone," he said faintly.

She sighed and scooted over, lifting his head gently into her lap. "Mako, we're still friends. I know things are weird and confusing right now, but I'm not going to let you sit in here by yourself all day."

He closed his eyes as she gently ran her fingers through his hair, trying to sooth him. "I shouldn't have come last night."

"No, but it's done. We're just…we're just friends and that's how it should be. Now I think you should go and find Asami. She's good for you."

It almost hurt her to say those words. A small part of her didn't like Mako and Asami together, but she wouldn't let herself dwell on those feelings. They were new and frankly, they scared her.

* * *

A knock on the door distracted Arael from the newspaper article she had been reading, reporting on how Korra had joined Tarrlok's task force against the Equalists. She got to her feet and walked to the door, finding Mako and a fidgeting Bolin standing on her doorstep when she pulled it open. A feeling of resentment flashed through her when she saw Bolin and a look of disapproval flashed through her eyes before she glanced at Mako.

"Can we come in?" he asked, seeming a little uncomfortable as well.

"Sure," she said slowly, stepping out of the way so they could come in. As Bolin walked by her, he met her gaze and immediately looked down. She pushed the door closed and turned to them, wondering what this was about.

"We need you back on the team," Bolin blurted out, looking away after it was out of his mouth.

"What?" she asked in shock, crossing her arms in slight annoyance. "I thought you weren't willing to boot Korra off."

"Korra doesn't have time for the team anymore," Mako said with a hint of resentment. "She's out with Tarrlok's task force all the time now."

Arael's eyes flicked to the newspaper folded on the couch. "I don't know…I'm not completely back to normal yet. I don't know if I could handle it out there."

"Arael, we need you. We're not going to be able to win the next match if Korra doesn't show up to practice," Mako admitted.

She sighed and looked away. "Okay."

"Yes! Thank you," Bolin cheered and then glanced apologetically at her when she shifted her gaze to him.

"Our practice slot starts in ten minutes," Mako said, either oblivious to the tension between Bolin and Arael or ignoring it. "We'd better get going."

* * *

Arael relished the familiar pull of the water as she moved it through the air. She hadn't used her waterbending since the encounter with Amon and the familiarity of the gym was starting to make it feel like the old times, before Korra arrived. A small smile settled on her lips as the boys fell into their bending stances and she let herself forget all of the things that had happened in the past couple of weeks. She was in her element.

With a fluid movement of her arm, she sent a whip of water at Mako, the smile turning smug as she began to work her stiff muscles. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Bolin send a disk at her. Sliding her foot along the floor, she brought a fist up, directing a stream of water to break the disk before it hit her. Keeping the momentum, she sent the water flying toward Bolin. Seeing him in this element suddenly brought back the anger from before and she froze the water, breaking it apart into small daggers. Bolin's green eyes widened and he brought his arms up to defend himself from her attack. A blast of fire fizzled out the ice daggers and Mako was standing in front of her.

"Arael, what are you doing?" he asked in disbelief.

"He lied to me!" she hissed.

"I didn't mean to!" Bolin squeaked in his defense, peeking out from behind his arms.

"What is going on here?" Mako asked, confusion in his golden eyes.

"Arael asked me to go to the gala for Korra with her but we had to be here and that was before Asami asked you so I really thought we did but then you told me Asami asked us to go and I didn't want to be rude and I was afraid to tell Arael so I just went and then she was there and I'm really, really, really, really sorry," Bolin blurted out, his mouth running a mile a minute.

"What?" Arael said, her arms falling to her sides. Mako relaxed as well, glancing between his brother and Arael. "Why didn't you just tell me, Bo?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just afraid I'm gonna get you hurt again," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Again?" she asked in confusion.

"You almost lost your bending because of me. If I hadn't gone with Shady Shin…"

Arael let out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. "That's what this was all about," she said, her words coming out with a laugh. "Bolin, you're a piece of work."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked with a sheepish grin.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, relieved that she hadn't been forgotten by one of her best friends after all.

"Now that you guys have had your moment, we have a match at the end of next week to prepare for," Mako cut in, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Let's get to work, then," Bolin said cheerfully.

* * *

Arael blocked the blast of fire, counterattacking by sending a stream of water slicing through the air at Mako. Twisting gracefully on her heels, she sent a second stream at Bolin, knocking him backwards. With the earthbender down, it was just her and Mako. He watched her, his golden eyes calculating as he studied her for a way in. But she knew him too well. He would wait for her move. She stepped forward, using her arm to send a ball of water at him. He dodged it, punching two quick blasts toward her. She danced around them before attacking him again, this time sending a whip of water. When he dodged it, she froze the water on the ground beside him and he fell with a loud yelp.

"Hey, no icing!" he said, getting to his feet.

"Foul on Fire Ferret waterbender. Disqualification!" Bolin spoke into an imaginary microphone, mimicking Shiro Shinobi.

Arael grinned and shrugged. "I was never going to knock you over without it."

"So you're admitting that you could never beat me if we were on different teams?" Mako said, crooking an eyebrow with a smug smile.

"I don't know about that," Arael replied. "I just thought you needed a break."

"Uh-huh," he said skeptically.

She playfully pushed his shoulder, looking at Bolin. "Guys, I think we're ready for tonight."

They had been training hard for a week and Arael had quickly fallen back into the rhythm of it. This was how it as supposed to be. Just Arael and her boys training for their matches. It was almost like Korra had never showed up in their lives.

"Hey guys. I am officially no longer on Tarrlok's task force," Korra said, walking into the gym and dropping her bag on the hard floor. "Ready to tra-oh, Arael. Hey! Have you been keeping them in practice while I was gone?"

Mako and Bolin fell silent and Arael glanced between them, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh, Korra…our match is tonight," Mako said slowly.

"I know. So we better get started. I might be a little rusty but I'm sure after a few hits I'll be back in my game," Korra said, cracking her knuckles. Arael frowned and crossed her arms, looking from one brother to the next. She was curious as to where their loyalties lay now, whether it was with their oldest friend or the Avatar. Korra noticed their hesitation and put her hands on her hips. "Guys, come on. Hit me!"

"Look, I'll just make it easier on you guys. I have house hunting to do anyway," Arael said bitterly, tossing her helmet to the ground and walking to the door.

"What's her problem?" Korra asked, just before Arael reached the door. The waterbender paused, struggling with herself on whether she should turn and take out her frustration on the Avatar or to just leave. No, she was the bigger person. She wouldn't let Korra get the best of her. She shook her head and pushed her way out the door, feeling tears stinging at her eyes. Even when she thought everything was back to normal, Korra had to come and ruin it all again.

* * *

Arael stepped through the door to the locker room, feeling the sudden nostalgia of entering such a familiar place. She walked to the balcony overlooking the arena, fully aware that the match had already started. She leaned against the railing, watching as Mako, Bolin, and Korra fought against the Rabaroos, her jealousy rearing when she saw how well they worked together. That used to be her out there, but now she had been replaced. What kind of game were they playing?

She watched as they easily knocked the opposing team off the back, winning the match. Was this how her life was going to be now? Pushed away from all she knew by the Avatar? This wasn't how she would live. Korra couldn't just butt into her life and replace her.

"Arael? What are you doing here?" Bolin asked, walking up to her. His cheeks were flushed from the exertion of the match and his green eyes held the sparkle of victory. Arael's anger softened slightly upon seeing him like this. Bo was like a younger brother to her and seeing him so excited was enough to soften any hard edge she had.

"Am I not allowed to watch matches anymore?" she retorted.

"Oh…no-I mean yes, but I just thought after earlier today…ya know?" he stumbled.

"I get it, Bo."

"So…I'm looking for a second opinion on something," he began, hesitating slightly before lowering his voice. "What do you about Korra? And me. Together. In a couple thing."

Arael was surprised by the question and her gaze flicked to Korra and Mako talking by Mako's locker. A small spark of anger flickered in her gut. "I don't know, Bolin. I don't want to get into this. I need to talk to Mako."

She left Bolin and approached the firebender, pausing just far enough away to let them finish their conversation.

"…I really like you and I think we were meant for each other," Korra said quickly. Arael's fists clenched and that feeling of jealousy she hadn't felt in awhile reared up again. Was this some kind of sick joke? Was Korra trying to enrapture both the boys?

"Korra I'm really sorry, but I just don't feel the same way about you," Mako replied, giving Arael a little relief. Korra muttered something and walked away, leaving Arael to cut in and lean against the locker next to Mako.

"Nice going, Romeo."

"Arael? You heard that?" he asked, almost in shame.

"What are you playing at Mako?" she asked, her anger finally breaking through.

"I told her I didn't like her!" he growled defensively, suddenly looking a little flustered.

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the team."

"It's not my fault you quit."

"I didn't quit!" she said loudly. She clenched her jaw and then lowered her voice, looking away. "You just let Korra push me away."

"That wasn't my fault. _You_ walked out, Arael. You're the one letting Korra push you away."

"You didn't say anything when she waltzed in like she hadn't been gone!"

"I didn't know what to say! You can't expect me to fight your battles."

"Congratulations guys! You were so amazing out there," Asami said, waltzing in through the door and ending Arael and Mako's conversation. Arael gave Mako one last hard look before storming out.

Maybe she wanted him to fight her battles. She wanted him to stick up for her. It was like he didn't even care about their past together. But she did. And seeing Korra and him or Asami and him together gave her that same feeling of jealousy. Maybe part of the reason she was so angry about Korra coming into their lives…was because she had feelings for Mako too.

She paused on the steps outside of the arena, looking back at it with sad blue eyes. Mako was with Asami. There wasn't any way something could happen between them. Besides, she had already turned him down. Her fingers went to her lips in reminder of the kiss they had shared. A sigh escaped her and she continued down the steps.

* * *

Mako walked toward where he knew Korra would be, growing frustrated with himself. They could have thrown that match away if Bolin hadn't been doing so well. The sudden awkwardness that had grown between he and Korra was going to ruin their chance at the jackpot. He needed to fix this now. He saw her standing there under a gazebo and he took a deep breath. It wasn't always easy facing people in an awkward situation like this.

"We need to talk," he started. "I don't have feelings for you, Korra."

"Save your breath. You've already made it clear how you feel about me."

"I didn't want it to come out like that, though. You're an amazing girl, Korra."

"That doesn't seem to have any effect on you though," she pouted.

"I'm with Asami! We're just not right for each other. I know how you feel right now but-"

He was cut off by her lips on his, an unpleasant surprise. He broke the kiss quickly, taking a few steps back. "Korra! I just told you I don't like you in that way!"

"Oh no," she said softly.

He turned to see his brother standing there with a bouquet, a look of shock on his face. They all stood there in silence for a few heartbeats before Bolin let out a wail and ran away.

"Great, look at what you did!" Mako shouted, sending a venomous look at Korra.

"I didn't…you're blaming me?"

"_You_ kissed _me_!"

"You came to talk to me!" she retorted. He let out a frustrated growl before starting after his brother. He paused when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eyes, turning to see Arael standing there with her arms wrapped around herself and a hurt expression on her face. His heart dropped to his stomach and he began to reach out to her, but hesitated, glancing in the direction his brother ran. Should he comfort her or go after Bolin? He returned his gaze to her, conflicted. Family comes first. Bolin always came first. He started after his brother again, glancing back at Arael over his shoulder with an apologetic look one last time.

He was officially the biggest jerk ever in her eyes. He hadn't stuck up for her when Korra pushed her away and she just caught him kissing another girl, accidentally or not, when he was in a relationship. Any hope he had of her even remotely returning his feelings was squashed. She probably wouldn't want to be friends with him anymore either. _Good job, Mako. You're doing a great job showing her how much you care about her._

* * *

Arael watched Mako chase after Bolin, her heart crumbling into little pieces. She hugged herself tighter and closed her eyes, ignoring the cold breeze that blew against here. She came out here looking for Mako. After a week of struggling with her newly realized feelings, she had pushed back and forth on whether she should tell him and tonight she had finally decided she would. And this was what she got. Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something.

She turned and started down the road, feeling tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. If her life hadn't already been falling apart, this was the final blow. Korra had officially ruined everything. She couldn't believe this!

"Love is such a cruel and terrible thing, isn't it," a familiar voice purred and Arael's eyes widened. She looked up to find the mask that had haunted her nightmares staring back at her.

"Amon!" she gasped, taking a step back. She looked around, realizing she was surrounded by chi-blockers. She must have wandered into their usual haunts without realizing it. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to where she was going. And now she was surrounded by Equalists. She fell into a waterbending stance, looking around wildly for water.

Amon's deep laugh rumbled through the alley, sending shivers up her spine. "There's no need for that, Arael. I've come here to negotiate with you."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, failing at trying not to sound as afraid as she was.

"You and I have a similar enemy. I'm merely offering you a way to keep your bending. You join me in my quest to equalize the Avatar and I will permit you to remain a waterbender," he proposed, taking a menacing step closer to her. "Or I could take it away now."

She was unable to step back any further and she looked up at him with fear filled eyes. Did she hate Korra enough to help Amon? She thought about the past few weeks, how the Avatar had slowly shattered her life and stole her friends.

"How do you know about…about what happened?" she asked, wondering how he had known about her heartbreak.

"I have spies everywhere. I've been keeping a close eye on everyone close to Avatar Korra."

She glanced around, taking in the glowing green eyes of the chi-blockers surrounding them. How many of them were people they saw on the streets every day? How many people were rallying behind this man?

"I'll…I'll accept your offer."

She was really doing this. She was joining forces with Amon to take down Korra. And after saying the words, it felt like a weight was being drawn off her shoulders. Who knew that turning bad could feel so good?

* * *

**A/N: I did just do that. I bet you're jaw dropped when you read that. :3**

**Anywho, I have a little bit of a request. Are there any artists out there? I kind of want a cover for this now that FF is allowing images. If anybody with great artistic skill is reading this, perhaps you could draw me a cover of the original Avatar group plus what you imagine Arael to look like. Any questions/offers/insults can be PMed to me!**

**That's all I have to say. R&R!**


	5. And The Winner Is

**Author's Note: I'm glad I got so much positive feedback on the last chapter. Perhaps a view from inside the Equalist movement will be a refresher for you guys. And no suing me for broken bones! Read at your own risk!**

* * *

The toes of Mako's shoes drug on the ground as he arrived at Arael's house, completely exhausted. He had spent the whole night looking for his brother and now he needed to amend things with his best friend. He wasn't sure how she would react to seeing him. She'd probably slam the door in his face, which he most definitely deserved. Mustering up the last of his courage, he lifted his hand to tap on her door. Dropping his arm, he stood there and waited. When five minutes passed, he knocked again, this time louder. _She's probably asleep_, he thought to himself. Still he waited, and when no answer came, he pounded on the door.

"Arael, it's me. Please, I just need you to listen to me. I can explain everything."

Surely she would have woken up by now. She wasn't that heavy of a sleeper. His patience worn after being up all night, he reached for the doorknob. To his surprise, it turned and he pushed the door open.

"Arael?"

The house was eerily silent. He glanced around as a feeling of wrongness crept up the back of his neck, causing the hairs to stand up.

"Arael?"

He pushed the door to her room open, taking in the scene. The bed covers were draping over the side of the bed, twisted and contorted like someone had been trying to get out of them. The lamp on the bedside table had been knocked over and broken. The drawers in the dresser were askew, with clothes tossed mindlessly aside. And that's when he saw it. His breath hitched and he knelt to the floor, picking up the chi-blocker mask off the top of the strewn clothing, ripped as if someone had clawed it off the wearers head. He got to his feet and walked to the open window, framed by torn curtains blowing gently in the morning breeze.

Arael had been kidnapped by the Equalists.

* * *

"I think you will find yourself comfortable in here," Amon said, gesturing through the doorway they had walked to. Arael looked around with wide eyes, the blue orbs flicking from the giant humanoid tanks being constructed to the Amon banners hanging from the high ceiling of Hiroshi Sato's underground warehouse. She had no idea that Sato was involved with the Equalists. Did Asami know?

"What about clothes?" she asked, noticing that the room was simple and hastily put together with a shabby dresser against the far wall.

"I sent a few chi-blockers to attend to that. I apologize in advance for the state of your parent's guest house but it is imperative that no one know you came to me willingly."

"Why?" she asked, looking up at him. She still got the same shiver down her spine whenever she looked at him and quickly averted her eyes.

"It will be revealed to you soon enough. For now you will stay here. Someone will come by later to take you to a training session for chi-blocking. Get some rest. It's been a long night." His words, which should have sounded kind, came out as a coarse order and he pulled the door shut. She heard the lock slide into place and slumped onto the bed. The man lacked any amount of compassion. And now she was his prisoner, even if she had willingly come.

She sprawled out on the bed, stretching to relieve her tight muscles and then curling into a ball. She was really doing this. She had joined the Equalists. _The enemy of my enemy is my friend_, she thought to herself. But how long would she last until Amon decided to take her bending? She couldn't trust his word; she didn't even know who was hidden behind that mask. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, determined not to cry. She had been doing enough of that because of Korra. Soon it would be her turn for payback.

* * *

Mako paced back and forth in front of Bolin, Korra, and Asami, his mind racing. They had to find Arael. She was gone and it was his fault. At least, that's how he felt. If he hadn't been so stupid! No, if _Korra_ hadn't been so stupid! Maybe none of this ever would have happened.

"Bro, we have a match tonight. I know this is a big deal, but chances are she's already lost her bending. This is the final round and we need the jackpot," Bolin said.

"No! I don't care! How can you just sit there and act like this is nothing?" Mako shouted in disbelief.

"Mako, you're overreacting," Asami said, her eyebrows furrowing. "I get that Arael is your friend but we've already filed the police report. There's nothing more you can do."

"You don't understand!" he growled, throwing his arms up in the air. "You don't know what she means to me."

Asami's pretty face changed into a full on scowl. "Should I?"

Mako paused, turning to look at her. He clenched his jaw and held her gaze a moment before looking away. He couldn't do this to her now. Even though he loved Arael, he had grown to care about Asami too. He didn't want to hurt her. "She's my best friend. I'm just worried."

"Come on. Let's get your mind off of it for now and practice. The Wolfbats aren't going to be easy to beat," Korra suggested. Mako sighed and looked away, before following after them. There was no way Arael would be taken off his mind until she was safe in his arms.

* * *

Arael faced her opponent, her legs slightly bent and her arms poised in front of her. He moved first, launching toward her. She twisted so she could remain face-to-face with him, blocking his punches with newly practiced ease. She returned a few of her own, aiming at the pressure points she had been taught about. If she hit just the right spot between the bones, she could render his arms useless. They weaved back and forth as they sparred, punches flying as they tried to hit the critical chi paths and pressure points. Finding that they were too well matched for extremely close combat, she began to take a step back and her opponent swiped out his leg, sending her tumbling backwards. She used her momentum to roll, making sure to land on her upper arm so she wouldn't injure herself. She got up gracefully and aimed a punch at his arm, hitting the spot. She gave it a few quick jabs and his right arm was rendered useless.

"Enough," Amon's voice rumbled, stopping the sparring match. Arael took a few steps back, panting heavily. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and exhaled slowly, looking to her mentor.

"Very nice," he complimented. If he was smiling, the mask hid it, but she basked in his approval anyway. She had learned it took a lot to impress the Equalist leader. "You have learned a lot in a week. I think you are ready."

"For what?" she asked curiously.

"You're aware that the Pro-Bending championship is tonight."

"Yes," she replied slowly, although it wasn't really a question. He knew she was a former Pro-Bender.

"Earlier today, I sent a message to all of Republic City, threatening them to close the arena tonight. The Council refused to close it on the word of the Avatar and Chief Bei Fong, exactly as I planned. Tonight, we attack the arena and destroy it once the winner of the championship is announced. That isn't a problem for you, is it?"

Arael averted her eyes, chewing on her lip. Pro-Bending had been all she had known for the past two years. She had dedicated almost every minute of her life to it since Mako had asked her to team up with them. And now they were destroying her second home. She sighed, closing her eyes. "Of course not. But I get Korra."

"No," he growled, causing her to flinch. "Tonight is not the right moment to take the Avatar. We need to slowly tear the benders down. And you aren't ready yet."

"How do you know I'm not ready?" she asked, a hint of defiance in her voice. She looked up at him, her chin tilting up slightly.

"When you face Korra, what are you going to do? When you beat her, where will you take her? You have no second step, nowhere to go," he said condescendingly. She scowled at him but kept her mouth shut. "I have much more to teach you before we attack Avatar Korra."

She sighed and looked away. "What more do I have to learn?"

"You'll find out in due time. For now I have a gift for you."

His words perked her curiosity and she lifted her eyes to him once more. He motioned with his hand for her to follow and he led her back to her room. Opening her door, he gestured at the bed. She stepped through, spotting the dark fabric folded neatly on top of her covers. She lifted it, discovering that it was a chi-blocker uniform, the same one the Lieutenant wore but her size and with a blue band around the left arm.

"I thought our newest member needed a representation of the importance she holds."

"I…I don't know what to say," she said, running her fingers over the nylon. In a strange way, it was almost heart-warming to receive a gift from Amon. It had to prove he saw some worth in her.

"Get changed. We're meeting at the truck in five minutes." He started to leave but paused, turning to face her again. "And try not to waterbend tonight." The words held a menacing edge and he left, pulling the door closed behind her.

She ran her fingers over the fabric again before changing into the formfitting outfit. She looked at herself in the dusty mirror as she pulled the mask over her head, tucking her hair behind her shoulders. She pulled the goggles on, the final touch. She almost couldn't recognize the person staring back at her in the mirror. This was her last chance to walk away. She could run, escape. But she wanted to say. Learning the ways of the Equalists made her feel powerful. And she liked it.

Smirking at her reflection, she turned and walked out into the factory, noticing the progress that had been made on the humanoid weapons she had seen when she first entered Hiroshi's underground factory. She had learned that they were called mechatanks and they were Amon's secret weapon. They were made of platinum, the purest metal that not even the best metalbenders could bend and only Hiroshi Sato had the money to afford magnitudes of.

She walked to Amon's side, standing before the convoy of black trucks they would be taking to the arena. Hiroshi's factory had other entrances besides the one she had been taken through in his workshop behind the mansion and they could get to their destination without being tracked.

"Let's go," Amon ordered. "Lieutenant, take Arael with you. You know the rendezvous point."

Arael followed the man with the kali sticks strapped to his back, sliding into the passenger seat as the truck began to take off. She glanced over at the Lieutenant, wondering how much the man disliked her. She had met him once before; the whole time he looked at her distastefully. He probably didn't like the fact that Amon had taken a bender into their ranks. He was too loyal to actually say anything, though, so she shifted uncomfortably in her seat as an awkward, tension-filled silence filled the gap between them. It was a relief once they finally reached the end of the tunnel. The truck was pulled to a stop and she hopped out, adjusting the gloves on her hands.

"Stay close," the Lieutenant growled at her and she nodded, following him out of the tunnel. He led her to the entrance and motioned for her to follow, silent in his movements. They moved through the shadow of the alleys, attracting no attention as they stealthy made their way to the arena. It was obvious the match was on with the loud cheers emanating from the building. A pang of homesickness hit her, reminding her of what she had lost and renewing her resolve of joining the Equalists. She wasn't doing this for their cause. She was doing this for herself.

The Lieutenant led her to a back way into the building she hadn't known about. The door led under the arena where she assumed lifted the ring announcer into the middle of the ring. They reached the platform and found chi-blockers already there with a few members of the staff tied up. Amon was there as well and he turned to face them upon their arrival.

"The match is nearly over. Come."

He led the group onto the platform and soon they were rising up to the ring.

"Go," Amon muttered to the Lieutenant. "And take her with you."

The Lieutenant motioned for Arael to follow and they jumped off just before the platform reached the top, landing in the area underneath the ring. The Lieutenant led her to the edge of the pool where three familiar figures were emerging from the water. Korra noticed the two intruders and tried to waterbend, but she was too late. The Lieutenant pulled his kali sticks out, electrocuting the water. Arael flinched as her friends screamed out in pain before falling unconscious.

"Bring them over here," the Lieutenant ordered. She complied, using her bending to pull the three floating forms toward them. She helped him pull the Pro-Benders out of the water and lean them against a column holding the arena up, tying them together. They left the Fire Ferrets there and Arael cast one last glance back, her blue eyes lingering on Mako's handsome, unconscious face a moment longer before she followed the Lieutenant up into the ring where Amon was addressing the crowd.

"…seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate. Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come..."

Arael listened to his words, turning slightly to look at the icon of the Equalist movement. He had taken the Wolfbats' bending. She didn't like Tahno, but she didn't think he deserved to loose his watrerbending. Sighing to herself, she tried to remember that she should have been in this ring tonight beating the Wolfbats for the championship pot so that Mako and Bolin wouldn't have to struggle any longer. She clenched her jaw, tuning back into Amon's speech.

"Very soon, the tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer need to walk afraid. It's time to take back our city. For centuries, benders possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people. But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field. Now anyone can hold the power of a chi-blocker in their hand. My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality and once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has begun!"

A loud crash above them caused Arael to look up. An airship hovered above the arena, lowering ropes with platforms down to them. Mimicking the others, she climbed onto one and clung tightly to the rope as it began to ascend back up to the airship. A loud explosion caused her to look down and her eyes widened as more explosions boomed underneath the arena, causing parts of the ring to collapse and clouds of smoke to rise. Mako and Bolin were under that. Her anger flashing, she looked to Amon not too far away from her.

"Amon!" she yelled angrily. "You lied to me! You said you were letting Korra go tonight!"

"Don't underestimate her. She'll make it out alive. And if she doesn't, then that's an unfortunate end for the Avatar," he responded. "Remember your place, Arael. I won't hesitate to take your bending away if you choose to do something stupid."

"But…" she began, her blue eyes flickering back to where they had tied her friends up. Choosing not to argue again, she shut her mouth and closed her eyes, leaning against the cable still pulling her up. The sound of fire whooshing by put her on alert, causing her to stand straight. She watched as the Lieutenant and another chi-blocker were knocked off their platforms and onto the glass roof of the arena. Looking down, she saw Korra holding onto one of the empty cables. Two cables whizzed by, knocking their riders off of their platforms as well. Lin Bei Fong was on the roof too, fighting those who had fallen. Arael clung tighter to her cable, mentally willing it to speed up. She was almost to the airship, where Amon had already disappeared inside. She didn't want to fall onto the roof, not when there was a gaping hole in it. Two more chi-blockers went after Korra and knocked her down onto the roof, leaving Arael to sigh in relief. She finally reached the airship and stepped off. She turned and looked down to see Korra and Chief Bei Fong fighting off the Equalists that had fallen to aid the Lieutenant. That meant that Mako and Bolin were probably okay. She let out a sigh of relief and moved deeper into the airship, following after Amon.

* * *

Mako watched as Korra and Lin chased after Amon, his own mission in mind. If the Equalists were here, then he was going to find out where they had taken Arael. He had been unable to stop thinking of her, worried that they might do worse than take her bending away. He dove into the water and scrambled onto the platform that would lift him into the locker room. When he reached the top, he ran out the side door and into the stands. He spotted one of the Equalists with the glove Amon spoken of on. Sending a blast of fire at the man, he caught him off-guard. He tackled the man and ripped the glove off his hand tossing it to the floor. He ripped the bandana off his mouth and took him by the collar, pushing him against the wall and letting him partially hang out over the pool.

"Where is she?" Mako snarled. "Councilman Tokin's daughter. I know you have her! Where's Arael?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" the man stuttered.

"Yes you do! I know you kidnapped her! Where are you holding her?"

"I don't have anything to do with the prisons! I was just recently recruited and trained!"

"The prison! Where is it? Tell me or I'll push you over."

"I don't know!" the man cried, a panicked expression taking over his face and tears welling in his eyes. "Please, have mercy! I don't know!"

"Mako! What are you doing?" Bolin said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder to try and pull him away from the cowering man.

"He won't tell me where Arael is!"

"I don't know!" the man sobbed, shaking underneath Mako's grip.  
"Bro, he doesn't know. Let him go," Bolin told him, trying to pull his brother off the Equalist. Mako glared at the man for a moment longer before releasing him and stepping back. The man scrambled away, leaving the brothers alone.

"He knew. I know he did."

"I'm sure she'll turn up eventually."

"No, Bolin! You don't get it! She's a councilman's daughter. She can be held for ransom. Amon's not just gonna let her go. He's gonna keep her until it's convenient for him. She's locked up in some prison probably scared to death because he took her bending away! And she's alone! She thinks that we deserted her and she's probably wishing he had killed her or something!" Mako screamed, trying to make Bolin understand why he was so devastated.

"You…you have feelings for her," Bolin realized, his green eyes widening.

Mako fell silent, his shoulders heaving after his rant. He held Bolin's gaze for a long moment before finally looking away. "Yes. I love her, Bo, and I lost her. I couldn't protect her."

"But Asami…"

"I know. I'm trying to figure it out. I just want to know that she's okay."

* * *

Arael sat on her bed, playing with the nylon mask between her fingers. The door to her room opened and she turned to see Amon standing in her doorway.

"Come with me," he said, leaving the doorway. Getting to her feet, she followed him, curious as to why he had come to her. He led her to a truck and motioned for her to get in, sliding into the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

He remained silent, starting the truck and driving through the underground tunnel until they reached a gate that lifted. They were on the road leading out of the city and into the thick forest around them. Arael crossed her arms and leaned back in the seat, looking out the window as they went deeper and deeper into the pine forest. She started to grow uncomfortable, wondering where exactly he was taking her and why he wasn't speaking.

They finally came to a stop in a clearing, where Amon got out and she followed suit. The full moon left it bright enough to see without lights and she shivered slightly against the cool breeze that promised winter would soon arrive. Amon turned to face her and a different shiver went down her spine as the moonlight eerily reflected off of his mask.

"Amon…" she began warily, but he lifted his hand to cut her off.

"I told you I had much more to teach you. I've come to trust you now, Arael, and I think you can bear the weight of my darkest secret."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I love cliffhangers! Also, this is going to be the last chapter named after an episode (that I know of so far). The next chapter I think will be a bit of a time blurrish thingy. Don't hate on me too much! :3**

**So far I have no takers on the art aspect of this. I'm still looking, just so you know. Yes, you artist there, I'm talking to you. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, look at the bottom of the previous chapter.) PM me!**

**R&R!**


	6. Bloodbending

**Author's Note: Wow guys, sorry about the long wait. Life decided to pick up. But here is the long awaited chapter.**

* * *

"I haven't been honest about my past or who I am with my followers. My family was from the Northern Water Tribe and they weren't killed by firebenders," Amon began, reaching behind him to pull his hood down and untie his mask. Arael held her breath, stepping back slightly as he pulled it off. She gasped as he turned his face to the moonlight, surprised by the handsome features hidden behind the mask. Blue eyes turned to look at her, almost seeking her approval as he clenched his strong, chiseled jaw. There were no burns on his mocha skin as he had claimed and he was probably in his late thirties or early forties.

"Why did you lie?" she asked in confusion. What was the point in lying about his past when he could still rally others for his cause?

"Because it was easier to gather support as Amon. If I told people that I had been hurt by benders, then they would believe me. Being too ashamed to show your face gains sympathy and can stir the emotions of others."

"But if your family wasn't killed by firebenders, then why do you resent benders so much?"

He turned away from her, bowing his head. "My father was Yakone. He bullied and terrorized nonbenders to take their money and gain power as the most feared mob boss in Republic City. And he did the same to me and my little brother."

Arael remembered the stories of Yakone and Avatar Aang that had been in the history books. Yakone was a bloodbender. Which could only mean… "You're a bloodbender!" she gasped, stepping back further.

He stiffened and turned toward her, his blue eyes hardening. "Yes."

"But if you're a bender, then why are you taking everyone's bending away?"

"Benders are only bullies who push around others to get what they want! If we get rid of bending, then the world will be balanced and everyone will have a fair chance."

"You don't just get to decide who keeps their bending and who doesn't!" Arael said in disbelief. "It's the Avatar's job to keep balance in the world."

"And how well is she doing at that? Last I checked you weren't very fond of her. Korra is an irresponsible teenager who's worried more about sports and her romantic interests than she is the well-being of the world. If she won't do it, then I'm willing to step up to the challenge and fill those shoes. I have discovered a way to take bending away using my own and if you decide to step in my way, I won't hesitate to take yours."

Her fists clenched and she glared at him, lifting her chin slightly in defiance for a few brief moments at the familiar threat. This wasn't right. He didn't get to play Avatar and take away a gift without reason. But she didn't want to lose her own bending and she finally broke their locked gazes. "Why did you bring me out here to tell me all of this?"

"Because I have a legacy to carry on. If something happens to me, I need reassurance that there is another to continue to carry out my vision. I did some research after our first encounter and I discovered something very interesting. Your grandfather was Yakone's brother which makes us cousins. The same blood runs through our veins, which means you are a bloodbender too."

Arael's eyes widened at his revelation. That…that wasn't possible! She couldn't be a bloodbender. With the realization came a flash of anger.

"You were never going to take my bending! You were manipulating me until you could use me for it. You need me!"

"Maybe so, but I'm helping you to achieve your goal. You want to ruin Avatar Korra and this will help you."

"No, I won't help you! Bloodbending is illegal," she growled, turning on her heels and beginning to storm away. No matter how much she hated Korra, she wasn't going to learn such a dangerous and terrifying practice. Suddenly, she froze and every limb in her body refused to move. She gasped as she was pulled to her knees by an unexplainable force, the most disgusting feeling running through her as her blood moved with its own will. She struggled, trying to fight the force controlling her, but it only resulted in her arm twisting painfully behind her.

"Where are you going, Arael?" Amon said darkly. He moved toward her and she felt that same intense feeling of terror she had felt when she first faced him coursing through her. How was he doing this without moving? It was like he could control her with his mind. Her breathing grew labored as she continued to fight, her instincts to run screaming at her.

"Stop, please," she whimpered and with the same unexpectedness, the force holding her back released her and she collapsed forward, the fallen leaves on the ground cushioning the impact. Panting, she felt like she had played in a hundred matches and she could barely move from the exhaustion.

"You see. Bending can only be used for cruel things. This is why we must bring balance to the world. Now, are you going to cooperate?"

She nodded meekly, still trying to catch her breath as she pushed herself up.

"Good. Get up."

She slowly rose, dusting herself off and glaring at him. She wouldn't let him bully her into submission like this.

"I'll learn bloodbending from you on one condition. Promise me that you won't hurt my friends."

"I don't need to make petty deals with-"

"Promise me, Amon, or you can take my bending away and loose any chance of this legacy you want," she said forcefully.

"Fine. Your street rat friends will be spared."

A feeling of relief spread through her and she brushed her raven hair out of her face. "Alright, let's get started."

* * *

Two dark trucks stood out against the white snow of the forest as they rumbled along, following a road seldom used. Arael clung tightly to her seat in the back of the first truck as it was jostled by fallen debris hidden under the snow. She grit her teeth and took a deep breath, growing car sick from the rough ride.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" she asked, looking to Amon.

"Yes," he replied simply.

"Somehow I find it hard to believe Tarrlok would have a hidden shack out in the middle of nowhere," she said bitterly.

"Stop complaining," Amon growled.

She sighed and rested her chin on her fist, bracing herself as the truck was jostled again. Although she seemed annoyed, underneath she was simmering with excitement. Today they were finally going to catch Korra. Over the past month, she had given up on the notion of getting revenge on the Avatar. Once Amon began teaching her bloodbending, the earlier feeling of power she had from learning chi-blocking had been replaced by the exhilaration of bloodbending. She had been working every night and excelling quickly, growing more powerful after every day with Amon's teachings. She was starting to believe that she could fulfill the legacy he had begun and altered her course. No longer was she bent on destroying Korra for her own selfish reasons. She had begun to see Amon's vision of a peaceful world without bending to unbalance it and Korra was in the way. Now was their chance to capture her and further their cause. The world already believed they had her anyway. But they had figured it out, or, Amon did. Tarrlok had captured Korra and blamed it on the Equalists. In retaliation, Amon planned to find the Avatar and Tarrlok, take the councilman's bending, and take Korra for themselves. She itched to escape the truck and test out her newfound talent on this mission.

Her heart leapt with excitement as the truck lurched to a stop. The back opened and she and Amon stepped out into the cold winter air, their boots sinking into the snow. The chi-blockers that came with them lined up and Amon glanced between them.

"Break down the door. Arael and I will take care of Tarrlok. The rest of you keep an eye out for the Avatar."

The chi-blockers nodded and Amon took Arael's arm, leading her away from the others for a moment.

"Focus. I can't help you in front of them. Remember that he's a bloodbender too. You just have to be stronger than he is."

She nodded and let out a slow breath to shake out her nerves. He led her back toward the others and with a small nod, a trio of chi-blockers and the Lieutenant pulled the door down. Stepping through the doorway, Arael stayed slightly behind Amon as they entered the shack, her heart racing. Hollow footsteps sounded from straight ahead of them and out of the shadows, a frazzled Tarrlok appeared, his hair falling out of it's usually well put together ponytails and his clothes torn.

"Amon!" he gasped in surprise.

"It's time for you to be equalized," Amon said darkly, stepping forward and out of Arael's way. Her muscles tensed as she prepared herself for whatever Tarrlok had to throw at her.

A smug smile spread across Tarrlok's lips and a dark look spread across his face. "You fools." He shifted into a modified bending pose, his arms lifting. A few of the chi-blockers moved forward and faltered, growing paralyzed. "You've never faced bending like mine!"

Arael steeled herself as she felt the familiar weight of bloodbending attempt to sink its way into her limbs. All her lessons from Amon returned to her. _You have to be stronger than your opponent, mentally and physically._

She was in the clearing they practiced in, still green at this new form of bending.

"Don't let me move you," Amon said. Without warning, he pushed her, sending her tumbling backward.

"What was that for?!" she growled, getting to her feet.

"Don't let me move you," he repeated, reaching forward to push her again. Predicting this second move, she pushed into his shove, managing to stay where she was for a few moments before she was on the ground again. Again and again, he pushed her until she could resist him. Then they moved on to mental strength. It was almost the same thing, but she had to resist his bloodbending. Her body moved against her will again and again, night after night until she grew so frustrated that she sent a flurry of snow aggressively toward a tree, the powder changing to lethal daggers in a moment and penetrating the bark of the trunk.

"Focus!" Amon growled. "You can't expect to be a powerful bloodbender if you can't focus!"

"I'm trying!" she hissed in anger.

"You aren't trying hard enough!" he accused her.

She let out an angry huff and started to storm off, only to stop in her tracks as her body turned against her.

"Don't walk away from me," Amon threatened darkly.

"Let me go," she hissed through grit teeth.

"Get out yourself. Stop running away from your problems. That's how you let Korra get to you. You let her push you away because you walked away, giving her your place. Don't walk away, fight it!"

Breathing heavily from the effort she was making, she let out an angry cry, throwing all of her will power against the weight holding her down, and suddenly breaking through. She stumbled forward, tripping over her own feet and tumbling to the ground. Panting, she sat up and looked around in astonishment, her blue eyes falling on Amon.

"Did you…"

He looked almost as surprised as she did and a rare, proud smile began to creep its way across his lips.

"I did it," she said in disbelief. She leapt to her feet, feeling elated. "I did it!"

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him, not realizing what she was doing until the unfamiliar feeling of him crushing her in a hug had registered in her mind. She pulled away in embarrassment, not looking up at him. "Sorry, I got excited."

"It's okay," he said, clearing his throat in discomfort. "It's been a long time since I've received one of those," he admitted and she lifted her blue eyes to meet his, a little surprised by the vulnerability in their usually guarded depths.

Her mind returning to the situation at hand, she moved forward, struggling slightly against the force that Tarrlok held. His blue eyes widened in fear as she and Amon moved forward while the other chi-blockers crumpled to the ground. Tarrlok changed his stance and reapplied the force of his bloodbending. Not ready for the second assault, Arael crumpled to the ground with a cry. She could still hear Amon's footsteps pushing forward before her and the weight of her failure fell on her shoulders, pinning her down.

"What…what are you?" Tarrlok stuttered in disbelief.

"I am the solution."

An involuntary shiver went through Arael's body at the dark, menacing words and she squeezed her eyes shut at the cry escaping Tarrlok. The pressure of his bloodbending disappeared and she pushed herself to her feet, lifting her head to see Amon standing with Tarrlok slung over his shoulder.

"I'll take care of him. You four retrieve the Avatar. Don't underestimate her. Electrocute the box to knock her out before you open it," he instructed. "Arael, come with me."

She shrank back slightly at the anger in his tone, following after him like an obedient pet as he carried Tarrlok outside. She was already angry at herself for failing, but to know that he was disappointed in her as well made it worse.

"You failed me," he said flatly, placing an unconscious Tarrlok in the back of a truck.

"I know-"

"Your training was for nothing if you couldn't face the only other bloodbender in existence."

"I'm sor-"

"You're pathetic. And I had such high hopes for you."

His words were like a knife, slicing through her confidence and self-esteem.

A collision behind them distracted both of them and she turned her head to see Korra emerging from the front door. Her eyes locked on the two figures by the truck and a look of intense fear passed through her blue eyes before she sent a flurry of icy spikes toward them. Arael leapt out of the way and the rest harmlessly landed in front of Amon.

"Go!" he growled out the order quickly.

Without hesitation, Arael took off after Korra, intent on proving herself to her mentor. The snow was stirred up by Korra's attack and she leapt through it, not stopping as she landed on a slope and began to slide down. Gaining her balance, she used her bending to skate on top of the snow, her blue eyes narrowed on Korra. She dodged between the trees, pulling snow to herself and melting it for her convenience. She shot a few streams of water at the Avatar and Korra looked back in astonishment, obviously surprised by the waterbender in the Equalists. Swinging her arms behind her, Korra sent a drift of snow up, blinding Arael and knocking her off balance. She tumbled into the snow and growled in frustration, slamming a fist into the white powder.

Ashamed and rejected, Arael got to her feet and trudged back up the hill, wiping her damp hair away from her face. She reached the top and walked over to where Amon and the other Equalists waited for her, her eyes downcast in shame.

"Get in the truck."

The order from Amon was flat, but she could tell he was even more disappointed than before. She climbed into the truck, looking down at the limp form of Tarrlok as she took her seat. The ride back to their base was long and Amon's silence was worse than his criticism. When they reached home, she got out and walked to her room in silence, sitting on the bed and pulling her mask off. A few minutes later, footsteps stopped in her doorway and she didn't have to look up to know it was Amon.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, feeling those hated tears welling in her eyes. It had been a long time since she had cried.

"You are capable, Arael, of great things. I can see a destiny for you that you can't seem to see for yourself."

"I can't. No matter how hard I try, I fail."

"You aren't pushing yourself hard enough."

"I can't!" she shouted, fixing him with a glare. "I can't do it, Amon. No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard you push me, I won't be able to do it. I'm not like you."

"Then you are worthless to me," he said, turning and leaving the room.

* * *

Mako sat in the saddle on top of Tenzin's flying bison, Oogie. He started when he caught sight of Naga in the distance.

"Guys!" he said, elbowing his brother and pointing down at the polar bear dog. Tenzin steered Oogie toward the creature and they landed on the street. Mako jumped out when the others did, his eyes lifting to Korra unconscious in the saddle.

"Korra!" Tenzin said urgently and rushed over to the teenager's side. "Oh, thank goodness!"

Korra stirred and lifted her head to see the others.

"Where's Tarrlok?" Lin demanded. "How did you get away?"

"Equalists," Korra moaned.

"Lin, back off. She's been through a lot," Tenzin said, lifting Korra off the saddle and carrying her to Oogie's. Mako watched from afar, the small ember of hope that Arael might be with Korra dying in his chest. He approached her slowly, afraid to get close but needing to know.

"Korra, can you tell me one thing. Do you know where Arael is?"

Her blue eyes snapped open at the name and she lifted them to look at him. "Mako…I think she's working with them…"

"What?!" he said in disbelief. "Why would you say something like that?"

"They have a waterbender…" she croaked, her voice growing faint.

Mako backed away, unable to believe what she accused Arael of being. She was crazy! Arael wouldn't do that. She couldn't betray them like that. She was a bender; why would she go against her own kind? But a nagging fear stayed at the back of his mind. Maybe if she had been pushed far enough…no! Korra was confused. Arael couldn't betray them like that.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, it's been done. I also have good news about the cover art. A good friend of mine has almost finished it and soon this story shall have a marvelous cover. Until next time, R&R!**


	7. The Edge

**Author's Note: Here we go, guys. It's time for the climax.**

* * *

Mako sat at the table beside Korra, his golden eyes unfocused as he lost himself in his thoughts, paying no mind to what Korra was telling Tenzin and the others about Tarrlok. The accusation Korra had made against Arael had been nagging at the back of his mind the past couple of days and he kept toying with the idea of Arael helping the Equalists. Maybe they were forcing her to. But she was so stubborn; she would rather lose her bending than hurt anyone. Or maybe he just didn't know her as well as he thought.

"Hey, Mako, do you mind getting me some more tea?" Korra asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Uh, sure," he said distractedly, getting to his feet and taking the kettle into the kitchen where Asami and Pema were washing up after dinner. "Can I get some hot water?"

"You're a firebender, boil it yourself," Asami said bitterly toward him. He lifted his golden eyes to her, shock in their depths at her words. It's not like he had asked that much of her. An awkward silence fell over the kitchen as he searched for something to say.

"I'm gonna step out in case you two want to talk," Pema said, leaving the kitchen and the couple alone.

"Is there something we need to talk about?" Mako asked, growing defensive after Asami lashed out at him.

"Why are you so worried about Arael?"

"What do you mean? She's my best friend and she was kidnapped. How else am I supposed to act?"

"I like Arael, but you've been keeping the truth from me the whole time."

Mako's heart fell into the pit of his stomach. She knew. "The truth? About what?" he asked in faux confusion, playing it off. He really didn't want to hurt Asami. Not after all she'd been through with her father being an Equalist.

"You're really going to make me say it?"

"Yes! Because I don't know what you're talking about," Mako growled, growing angry that she was playing mind games with him. He wanted so badly for her to just give it up, leave this argument for later so they could pretend that everything was still okay between them, but then another part of him wanted her to say it so that the guilt could be lifted off his shoulders, so that he didn't have to hide his true feelings any longer.

"The kiss, Mako. I know."

He was caught off guard by that. He thought she was just going to accuse him of loving Arael. "I-no-how-" Then it dawned on him. There was only one person other than him and Arael who knew about that night, who he thought he could trust. "Bolin told you, didn't he?!" How could his brother betray him like that? And it was one accidental kiss when he was drunk off his ass. Bolin knew that.

"Don't blame your brother for what you did. Do you have feelings for her or not? Or maybe kissing Korra meant nothing as well," she accused him angrily.

His jaw clenched at those words, the muscle jumping. Bolin told her about that too? Did he not feel obligated to protect Mako's secrets?

"That was an accident. Korra came on to me. I don't like her like that. Look, things are crazy right now. Can we deal with our relationship problems later?"

"Well there might not be any relationship to worry about later," Asami spat before pushing past him out of the kitchen. His shoulders slumped after she left and he leaned on the counter, bowing his head. Everything was so screwed up right now. Arael was missing, the Equalist threat was looming, and now his girlfriend was pissed off because she found out he wasn't in love with her. Maybe the guilt would leave him if they just ended it. Then he could focus on finding the girl he truly loved.

* * *

Arael stood away from Amon and Hiroshi Sato as they conversed, her gaze falling to the city below as their airship loomed over it. They had done it. After capturing all the council members, including her father, and the police force they had gained control of Republic City. The streets were empty and the town seemed vacant as everyone hid in their homes. It was an overwhelming sense of power but she had a stone of guilt weighing down her stomach. These were her people, citizens she spent her life with, people who supported her in Pro-Bending or as the councilman's radical daughter. Now they all feared her, even if they didn't know it was her behind the mask. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass, fogging it up with her breath and drawing small designs in it. Had she become a monster? Her blue eyes flickered to Amon and Hiroshi, the deceiving bloodbender and the inventor of war machines. Everyone against the Equalists thought they were monsters and they didn't even know what Amon was capable of. Did that make her a horrible person by association? She wasn't sure. She was only trying to help the world fall into balance, something Korra couldn't do. She was doing Republic City a favor, and soon the world. Or maybe she was doing the wrong thing. By now, all of her anger toward Korra had faded into dull feelings of bitterness. But she didn't hate her. All this time away from home and her friends, it had hardened her. The only person she felt close to was Amon, and that was only because he trained with her every night. Well…not anymore. After her failure at Tarrlok's shack, he had set her aside and rarely spoke to her. She still continued to practice her bloodbending, slipping out in the middle of the night and using it on animals. She was strong, she just didn't know if she could use it on another person. How would she redeem herself in the eyes of her mentor? Was it even worth it?

* * *

The arena was packed by thousands of people, their faces blocked from Arael's view by the bright lights of the stage. For a brief moment, she had déjà vu and was reminded of the first time she had faced Amon in front of an audience of soon to be Equalists. Now the crowd was much larger and she was standing with Amon, not waiting to face him and fight to keep her ability to bend. Her blue eyes fell on the crowd from behind her green tinted goggles and she shifted her weight in discomfort. Something in the air didn't feel right. Something about standing there beside the Lieutenant didn't feel right. She lifted her eyes to Amon as he began to address the crowd, the low timbre of his voice enrapturing the attention of the crowd.

"Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion. When I was a boy, a firebender struck down my entire family and left me scarred."

_That's a lie_, Arael thought to herself.

"That began my quest to equalize the world."

"That's a lie, Amon," another, familiar voice said accusingly, voicing Arael's thoughts. Her eyes flashed to the direction the voice came from and the movement of two people taking off masks led her gaze to where Korra stood. And Mako. Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing him, even at a distance. What were they doing here? They had nowhere to go, nowhere to run when there were chi-blockers posted at every entrance and an impressionable, volatile crowd below them.

"Or should I call you Noatak?"

The unfamiliar name rang in Arael's ears and she tore her eyes away from Korra and Mako to look at Amon and gauge his reaction. Was that truly his name?

"You want her taken out?" the Lieutenant asked and Arael tensed, hoping that Amon didn't agree.

"No," he said, holding a hand up. "Everyone calm down. We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's hear what she has to say."

Arael sighed silently and lifted her eyes again to the rebels. She was surprised to see Mako's gaze focused on her and a frown on his lips, like he was trying to figure her out. Did he know? Her heart dropped. He couldn't. It looked like she had been kidnapped, not like she had willingly gone. At least, that's what Amon told her.

"Amon has been lying to you. The spirits didn't give him the power to take bending away; he uses bloodbending to do it. Amon is a waterbender!" Korra tried to explain. How did she know? How could she even have discovered that?

"What is this nonsense?" the Lieutenant muttered, exchanging a confused yet slightly bemused look with Arael. She gave him a weak smile and swallowed hard, unsure of how this was going to end.

"You're desperate, Avatar. Making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort," Amon said, brushing off the accusations easily.

"Your family wasn't killed by a firebender. His father was Yakone, and his brother is Councilman Tarrlok."

Tarrlok. Korra must have contacted him somehow to learn all of this.

"An amusing tale, but I will show you the truth." Arael's gaze fell on Amon again with a questioning look. He didn't have a scar like he claimed. How could he be so confident that he could prove Korra wrong? She held her breath and watched as he dramatically untied and removed his mask, the corner of her lip twitching into a frown when he pulled the ghostly mask away from his face to reveal a horrid scar marring his usually handsome face.

"This is what a firebender did to me!" he snarled at Korra, his blue eyes flashing. Did he scar himself intentionally between now and when he had trained Arael? Or maybe it was paint. She wasn't sure but she tried to keep the confusion from registering on her face. She flicked her gaze up to Mako to see if he was still looking at her, but he had turned his focus on to Amon as the man replaced his mask, his confused expression reflecting her own.

"What?" Korra said in disbelief as the crowd began to accuse her of lying. "I'm telling you he's a waterbender!" Her voice grew faint as she turned to speak to Mako, preparing to make an escape. Arael dropped her gaze to Amon again. He had played his cards well.

"I wouldn't leave yet, Avatar," Amon taunted. "You'll miss the main event."

A loud whir sounded behind Arael and she stepped forward and turned to see a platform rising with Councilman Tenzin and his children, her jaw tightening when she realized what Amon intended to do.

"Tonight I rid the world of airbending, forever," Amon announced triumphantly.

"Amon, let them go!" Korra ordered.

"You're welcome to come down here and try and stop me," he taunted and Arael knew he was smirking under his mask. "The Avatar needs to be reminded of the power I possess."

He started walking toward Tenzin and a loud sizzle sounded as lightening slithered through the air, striking the ground beside Amon. Arael lifted her eyes to where Mako and Korra were to see them using firebending to run on the wall and land on the stage. She fell into a chi-blocking stance, ready as she could be to face them. She leapt out of the way of their blasts of fire, trying to get closer so she could render their bending useless. Both of them sent a combined blast toward her and she was knocked backwards and off the stage. Groaning, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and rubbed her head where it had collided on the ground, throngs of people running past her as chaos broke out. She got to her feet and made her way back to the stage as Tenzin joined the fight. As she climbed back up, Korra and the others disappeared into a side hall and Amon was pulling himself back onto the stage as well.

"Arael, with me!" he ordered before chasing after them. She followed, her boots pounding on the ground as she took off after them, her heart pounding in her chest. They sped through hallways until they reached a wall of flames and she followed suit as Amon leaped through it. He came to a stop and put a hand up for her to do the same. Tilting his head toward a swinging door, he motioned for her to follow him. They entered a large, dark room and Arael's heartbeat echoed in her ear as she glanced from side to side, looking for any sign of Korra. They're footsteps echoed eerily through the room and she was on edge, waiting for Korra to leap out. She came to a stop as Amon did, listening intently. When they heard nothing, he continued. A faint sigh came from nearby and with a swift turn on his heels and a loud thump, Amon drug Korra out from under a table with his bloodbending, paralyzing her in midair. Another movement told Arael where Mako was and she turned to face him, falling into a waterbending stance. She sensed a bucket full of stagnant water nearby, and pulled it toward her, using it to block Mako's fire blasts.

"Let her go!" he shouted angrily with each blast. Arael danced out of the way of a few and used what little water she had to extinguish the others. She sent a whip of it at him and he dodged out of the way, trying to get to Korra and Amon. Arael stayed between them, keeping Mako from getting closer as Amon guided Korra onto her knees in front of him with his mind and placed a hand on the back of her neck.

"No!" she protested, urging Mako to fight harder. Arael matched him for each move, easily able to predict his next attack as he grew more desperate to help Korra.

"Korra!" Mako shouted, and Arael knew Amon was taking her bending away. She was running low on water and she saw a puddle right where Mako was about to step. Freezing it over, he slipped and fell just as Korra fell with a thud to the ground. It was done.

"I told you I would destroy you," Amon said menacingly, sounding satisfied.

"Arael?" Mako asked in disbelief, pushing himself up to a sitting position and looking up at her. She froze, realizing her mistake. She had used the same move on him that she had used so long ago when they had been training. Straightening, she lifted her hand to the mask and pulled it from her head, confirming his suspicions as she revealed her face. A look of devastation fell over his face and it felt like a knife twisting into her gut. "Why?"

She looked away, unable to answer his question.

"Finally, you are powerless," Amon said triumphantly, looking down at Korra.

"Amon!" A voice said accusingly and Arael and Amon turned to find the Lieutenant standing in the doorway. "Everything the Avatar said is true, isn't it?" He asked, walking toward them. "That's why you kept her." He pointed accusingly at Arael. "I saw you bloodbend the Avatar!" He tore off his mask and dropped it to the ground, crushing the glass under his feet. "You traitor! I dedicated my life to you!" He pulled out his kali sticks and charged at Amon, only to stop in his tracks and hover in the air.

"You served me well, Lieutenant," Amon said before sending the man crashing into the wall with a sickening crack. Arael bit back a gasp, trying not to react as blood began to pool from the Lieutenant's head where his body lay broken. Amon had tossed him to the side and killed him like a spiderfly. She lifted her eyes as Amon started walking toward Mako, bloodbending her friend until he was on his knees. Panic shot through her and she took a step toward him.

"Amon, we had a deal," she said timidly.

"Surely after all this time, Arael, you would have figured out that we can't allow anyone to remain benders, not even our friends. Unfortunately, he will be equalized. He'll be fine."

Arael watched as Mako struggled against Amon's mental grasp, his golden eyes pleading with her. "Please…Arael," he begged through clenched teeth.

She swallowed hard and took another step toward Amon. "Let him go. You promised."

"Stand down. This is for his own good," he said in annoyance. He reached Mako and stood behind him, lifting his masked face toward Arael. "Don't try and stop me."

She gasped as she felt the pressure of his bloodbending forcing itself upon her. She grit her teeth as she threw her own bending against it, trying to fight it. She couldn't let him take Mako's bending. She struggled harder as his hand descended toward Mako's forehead and with an angry cry, she broke through and forced her will on Amon. He froze, his thumb inches from Mako's forehead.

"You…can't…do this. I'm…too…strong," he said through clenched teeth and she could feel him pushing back against her. Narrowing her eyes, she reinforced herself with a mental wall and pushed harder. Amon flew back from Mako and hovered in midair, his limbs defying him.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else again!" she shouted angrily. A loud cry of pain escaped him as he contorted unnaturally and a sickening snap sounded through the room. He fell to the ground unmoving and Arael stood frozen, her blue eyes locked on his limp from. She…she killed him. She slumped to her knees, unable to tear her eyes away from the twisted form of Amon and she was barely aware of Mako's warm hand as he touched her shoulder.

"Arael," he said forcefully and she tore her eyes away from what she had done to look up at him. His golden depths held a mixture of emotion and for a moment, he just stared at her, taking in her face as she did the same. He pulled her to his chest in a tight hug and she clenched her jaw, trying not to cry over what she had done.

"Korra!" a deep voice said from the doorway and it registered in the back of Arael's mind as Tenzin's. "Oh Spirits," she heard him say and she knew he had frozen at the sight of Amon.

"Tenzin," Korra whimpered. Their conversation turned to quiet whispers and whimpers behind her as Arael sought comfort in Mako's arms while he gently rubbed her back. He eventually pulled away to look down at her.

"I was so worried about you," he said softly, touching her cheek. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, sighing in relief as he pulled back. "I'm glad you're okay."

She was numb; too afraid to say anything in case she offended him or broke down. All she wanted was to stay like this and seek his comfort while the world fixed itself around them. But she knew that was childish thinking. She lifted her eyes to his, tears threatening to spill.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"Shh, we'll worry about that later. Everything's going to be okay. Spirits, Arael, I've missed you so much," he said, burying his face in her raven hair.

"Mako, we need to get out of here," Tenzin said, causing Mako to pull back slightly. "If the Equalist followers see what happened, they'll blame Korra and revolt. We need to get her out of here and do damage control before the city falls into deeper chaos. Lin and the council members are waiting for us."

Mako sighed and got to his feet, and Arael closed her eyes as he lifted her with him. She chanted his words inside her head, trying to tell herself that everything was going to be okay. They would make it through this and then life could return to how it used to be.

"Arael, I'm gonna set you down. I have to carry Korra," he told her gently. She nodded and he held onto her until she could stand on her own. She watched as he lifted Korra into his arms, no emotion registering in her numb mind, and followed after them as Tenzin led the way through the halls to where the others were waiting.

"Arael?!" someone said in disbelief and she lifted her blue eyes to see her mother and father. "You're okay!"

They rushed to her and pulled her into a hug, her mother sobbing in relief. "We thought we'd never see you again!" she whimpered.

They pulled back and her father placed a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her attire.

"Why are you wearing that?" he asked in confusion, taking in the Equalist outfit.

"Tokin we don't have time for questions. We need to return to Air Temple Island," Tenzin said.

Her father released her and nodded as they all climbed onto Oogie, who Tenzin had called with his bison whistle. She sat down beside her mother and her blue eyes gazed unseeing ahead of her as she tried to cope with what she had done. A hand covering her own pulled her attention away and she lifted her eyes to find Mako sitting beside her, his golden eyes reassuring. He was telling her that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to believe him and for a brief moment, she closed her eyes and pretended that everything would be, before reality shattered it.

"Where have you been, Arael?" her mother asked. She opened her eyes and saw everyone was staring at her expectantly. Lin Bei Fong, her mother, her father, the representative of the fire nation, Tenzin's wife and kids. Could she tell them that she had helped put them in prison, that she was there when Lin's bending was taken away, that she had helped Amon ruin Korra?

"Mrs. Gan Ling, she's been through a lot," Mako said, although he didn't know the full weight of it all. He wrapped his arm around her and all the pressure she had been holding back was released. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed while everyone averted their eyes and shifted uncomfortably. She didn't have to answer their questions for now, but she knew she would have to eventually.

* * *

**A/N: I have a feeling there's only one chapter left. There's a possibility of two. But it's safe to say we're heading into the home stretch. R&R!**


	8. The Aftermath

**Author's Note: Second to last chapter. We're getting close.**

* * *

Mako woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. He opened his golden eyes, squinting against the sunlight until his fuzzy vision cleared. The first thing he saw was Arael's peaceful face glowing in the soft light filtering across the bed as she slept beside him and he smiled to himself, reaching up to tuck a strand of her raven hair behind her ear. Looking down, he realized they were both still in Equalists clothing, his stolen and hers he wasn't sure about. The night before, they had come to Air Temple Island and found the Equalists had fled. He had brought Arael to an empty room in the girls' dormitory so that she wouldn't have to face all the questions surrounding her disappearance. He had so much to ask her, but he kept silent and just comforted her as she cried until she fell asleep. He hoped Tenzin didn't mind that he had broken the rules by not returning to the boys' dormitory, but he had a feeling that would be the last of the airbender's concerns as the others worried about Korra. Arael stirred beside him and he returned his gaze to her beautiful face as she blinked awake, her blue eyes confused.

"Where am I?" She asked, sitting up and running a hand through her hair.

"You're safe," he reassured her. "We're on Air Temple Island."

The confusion in her eyes disappeared and mortification replaced it.

"Amon..."

"He's dead, Arael. We don't have to worry about him anymore. You did what you had to do," he said gently, sitting up as well. "You kept me from losing my bending."

"He was my cousin," she said softly, looking down at the sheets of the small bed.

"Is that why you can bloodbend without the full moon?" He asked, unable to keep the question in. She responded with a small nod and he sighed, gently rubbing her back. "How long have you known?"

She was silent a moment before responding, her blue eyes unfocused as she lost herself in a past he was trying to understand. "A few months. Amon...Noatak told me."

He didn't question her change of his name, wondering if that was what he had told her to call him. "Did he teach you?"

Again she nodded, as if afraid to answer him.

"Arael," he said gently, pausing to wait for her to look up at him. When she didn't, he took her face in his hands and gently tilted it up towards his. "Arael," he said again, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "Are you afraid that I'll judge you for leaving us and taking his side?"

She remained silent, and he took it as a yes.

"I searched for you every day. When I found your room destroyed and you gone, I was so scared. I thought I'd never find you again, but every day I searched every face I passed by, hoping one of them would be yours. When Korra disappeared, I wasn't looking for her in the Equalists prison, it was you. I was lost not knowing where you were. I told you I promised myself I would protect you. I know I was drunk when I first said it, but I didn't mean it any less. I loved you and I still love you and I will always love you, no matter what you do, because without you, my world is torn apart."

He waited for her reaction to his words, watching as her blue eyes slowly grew guarded.

"But Asami and Korra..."

He knew it was coming and he looked away momentarily. "Asami was a lapse in judgment." Returning his golden eyes to her, he took her hand. "I was too afraid to tell you how I really felt and I thought you wouldn't feel the same way, so I found someone safe. I talked myself into liking her, thinking you wouldn't care and then it just got out of hand and I was in too deep. We're over now, so it doesn't matter any more. And Korra was an accident. She kissed me." He sighed, looking down and squeezing his eyes shut. "If I had only gone after you instead of Bolin, maybe I could have kept you safe. I should have told you I needed you instead of letting you think I didn't care-"

He was cut off by her lips on his, and without hesitation, he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her small form against his. Her fingers snaked into his hair and he groaned softly, the taste of her on his tongue replacing the empty feeling of loss that had encased his heart for so long. He broke away, gazing down at her with warm golden eyes.

"I wanted to tell you that night that I had feelings for you," she admitted. "But-"

He cut her off with a second kiss, shorter than the first but still filled with all of his repressed emotion. When he pulled away, he gently rubbed his thumb across her cheek. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we're here now and you're safe in my arms."  
A small smile played on her lips and he was glad that he had been able to put it there. He brushed his thumb along her lower lip, lifting his gaze to hers. Realizing that they hadn't eaten since the day before and he didn't know how long it had been for her, he took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. "Are you hungry?"

She paused to think about it before nodding and he got to his feet, pulling her towards him as he led her in the direction of the kitchen. When they reached the dining room, he paused, glancing in to see Pema and Tenzin looking distraught and talking in hushed voices to Arael's parents. They're words were too quiet to hear and he stepped in, glancing back at Arael with a reassuring gaze to tell her to follow him.

"Arael, you're awake!" Latia said, getting to her feet. She walked over and embraced her daughter, causing Mako to step out of the way. She pulled back from her daughter and studied her, holding her at arm's length as her amber eyes roamed over Arael's face. "You look older," she said softly, her tone flecked with sadness. Mako's golden eyes lifted to study her face and he noticed how much older she looked. But it wasn't exactly age, it was something else he couldn't quite place. Maybe…wisdom? Like she had experienced so much while she was gone and it had aged her. If he looked in the mirror, would he see the same thing on his own face? Or had she seen worse than him? He grimaced at the thought, wondering if it was partly the guilt she felt from killing Amon. He wanted to pull her closer and tell her everything would be okay, but he kept himself distanced from her, especially with Tokin's gaze locked on him. After Arael had disappeared, they had managed to repair the trust between them but he had a feeling Tokin was suspicious about his whereabouts the previous night. The man had a right, but Mako wished he would trust him more around his daughter. Or maybe he man was just frustrated because Mako had stolen her away before they could all be properly reunited. For that reason, Mako lifted his eyes to Arael to make sure she was okay before sitting at the table beside Tenzin.

"Is Korra doing okay?" he asked the airbender, his eyes shifting between the man and his wife, both with concerned looks on their faces.

"We're going to take her to my mother in hopes that she might help her," Tenzin said with a resigned sigh. That must mean Korra wasn't doing so well after yesterday.

"Can I come?" Mako asked, worried about his friend. After all, he hadn't been able to do much to stop Amon and he felt guilty that he couldn't stop the bloodbender from taking away her bending.

"I don't think that's such a good idea…"

"Tenzin, she needs her friends to support her. Let them come," Pema said gently, shifting her brown eyes to Mako.

Tenzin looked to his wife and let out another resigned sigh. "Fine."

"Mako," a deep voice said and he lifted his eyes to meet the same blue eyes Arael had inherited from her father. It had been so hard being around Tokin while she was gone. Every time he met the councilman's gaze, it was a reminder of her and how badly he screwed up, leaving his heart aching.

"I never got to thank you for finding her." The dark skin around the councilmen's eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly, although there was also a faint shadow of sadness in his eyes. Arael's return was bittersweet. There was just so much they didn't know. He nodded at Tokin, a faint smile on his lips, before turning his gaze up to Arael, all of his questions running through his mind. What had happened while she was gone? Why had she learned bloodbending? He watched in silence as she spoke quietly to her mother, wishing he could get answers.

* * *

The silence of the room was unbearable, causing Arael to shift in her seat from the tension in the air. So many people were there, waiting with bated breath for Katara and Korra to return. Tenzin, his wife, their kids, Korra's parents, Asami, Bolin, Lin Bei Fong, her own parents, and Mako; all waiting to see if Katara could do the impossible. She wanted so badly for this to work, for Korra to heal. The guilt had weighed on her for the past few days and it was almost unbearable. She had spent hours standing in front of the mirror and staring at herself, trying to recognize the new person she had become. The one who had aided in the Avatar's loss; the murderer. So many times she had walked to the cliffs of Air Temple Island, staring down into the foaming waters below in contemplation. Was it worth living to bear this guilt? Could she live with herself while everyone looked at her with those questioning stares? They tried to hide it, but she could feel their eyes on her. She had been able to avoid their questions so far, but she knew they were going to demand to know what happened eventually. How could she expect them to accept what she had done when she couldn't even come to terms with it herself? Mako had said nothing about what she had done to anyone and Korra had been too depressed. She still struggled with it every day, and she didn't know if it was better to force herself to suffer through every day or just end it. The only thing keeping her from jumping was Mako. She looked down at their intertwined fingers, wondering why he was being so accepting of this. He had watched her use her bloodbending to murder someone. She had kept him from helping Korra. She had hurt him so much. Yet he still loved her and supported her, spending every waking moment with her and telling her everything would be okay. That she could take as long as she needed to tell him what happened.

He noticed her gaze and ran his thumb over her knuckles in a comforting gesture. She watched him with conflicted blue eyes, wishing he would stop being so accepting. She wanted him to be angry with her, to treat her like the horrible person she was.

The door across the room slid open and everyone grew alert as Katara stepped out. Her expression was sad and she slowly shook her head. "I've tried everything, but I cannot restore Korra's bending."

"But you're the best healer in the world!" Lin exclaimed, getting to her feet. "You have to keep trying."

"I'm sorry. There's nothing else I can do. Korra's connection to the elements has been severed," Katara said sadly. At that moment, Korra exited the room and looked at everyone with depressed eyes.

"It's going to be alright, Korra," Tenzin said gently.

"No, it's not," Korra responded flatly. She turned and walked quickly out the door. Without thinking, Arael got to her feet, pulling her hand free from Mako's and following Korra out the door.

"Korra, wait!" she said, reaching out toward the Avatar.

"Go away!" Korra growled, spinning on her heels. "Haven't you done enough?"

Arael stopped in her tracks, her blue eyes distraught. "I'm sorry."

"Like that's going to change anything. You got your revenge, now leave me alone."

"What?" Arael asked, surprised by the outburst.

"I know you were jealous of me. You won, though, so I don't know why you're following me. You got what you wanted. Mako's in love with you and I don't have my bending anymore."

Tears welled in her eyes and she turned away, leaving Arael frozen where she was. The waterbender watched as Korra disappeared, shocked by the truth. She _had_ gotten her revenge in the end. Her petty, trivial revenge on Korra for pushing her out of her own life. _Was it worth it, Arael? _she asked herself, dropping her eyes to the snow in front of her. To think that this had all started because she felt like she was being forgotten…it made her feel sick, like she was one of the most vile things ever to walk the earth. A hand on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to find Mako standing there, a worried expression on his handsome face. She felt so unworthy of him, and that thought on top of everything else caused tears to well in her own eyes.

"I'm a monster," she whispered. She was just like Hiroshi Sato and Amon, maybe worse. He shook his head and pulled her to his chest, tucking her head under his chin. She sobbed into his chest, her fingers curling into the thin fabric of his shirt as she finally came to terms with herself. "It's my fault."

"No," he whispered gently. "You could never be a monster, Arael. You aren't to blame for any of this."

She didn't respond, too weary of arguing the point with him. He was blinded by his feelings for her. The feelings she didn't deserve.

"Come on, let's get back inside. It's cold out here."

She shook her head and pulled away from him. "I can't."

He paused and looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, as if speaking to a child.

"I can't go in there. They all know. They know what I can do. They fear me. They should be afraid of me." She turned her back to him, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Arael, nobody knows. Korra and I haven't said anything. No one will know. Those people are our friends and family. Nobody is judging you. We're just glad that you're home safe."

She turned her head back toward him, giving him a glimpse of her profile, the tears running down her pale cheeks glistening in the light reflected off the snow. "I've ruined everything."

"It's going to be-"

"No, it's not, Mako. Stop lying to make me feel better," she said sharply, turning to face him. "Everything can't go back to normal after what I've done. The Equalists won't disappear, Noatak won't come back, and Korra won't get her bending back. Grow up and stop pretending that things will get better!"

A shocked expression had taken over his face at her outburst, but it quickly faded as his eyebrows dipped into a scowl. "I'm trying to help!"

"Maybe I don't want your help," she said angrily. "Stop babying me. I'm not this perfect person you've built me up in your head to be."

"That's not-why would you-ugh! Fine! Sorry I actually care about you," he bit out, growing flustered in his anger.

The sound of pounding footsteps approaching in the snow caused them both to look up. Korra was returning on Naga and when she reached them, she climbed off of the polar bear dog with a large grin plastered to her face. "Guys, I can bend again! Look!"

With an upward motion of her arm, Korra brought up a pile of snow from the ground and melted it into water. She beamed at them and released her hold on the element, sending it splashing to the snow again.

"What…how?" Arael asked in disbelief, her anger forgotten at the sight of Korra bending.

"Avatar Aang visited me and taught me how to return bending. I can help everyone the Equalists hurt now," Korra told them excitedly. Before either could respond, Korra rushed to the door, calling for Tenzin and the others. They all came outside and Korra demonstrated the return of her bending by sending a ball of flame into the sky.

"Impossible…" Tenzin said, although a smile had spread across his lips.

"Aang showed me how," she explained before turning to Lin. "I can give you your bending back."

Arael stood back and watched as Lin Bei Fong knelt before the Avatar. Korra placed her thumb on her forehead and her other thumb at the groove in her collarbone. For a moment, her blue eyes glowed with the power of the Avatar state. She dropped her hands when the glow faded and Lin got to her feet. With a stomp of her foot and a thrust of her hand, Lin lifted a short column of earth from beneath the snow. A relieved smile fell across her lips and she bowed to Korra. "Thank you, Avatar Korra."

* * *

Arael sat in her living room with her fist in her palm as she gazed off into space, her mind swimming with thoughts. So much had happened since they returned from the South Pole. A newspaper had printed an article revealing that Amon wasn't who he said he was. There was a picture of his face, the fake scar half wiped off to show the liar beneath. Although there was still a public debate over whether he was actually a bender or not, the Equalist movement had died down after the revelation that their deceased leader was a fake. It still lingered on the fringe of society and there was still a lot of tension between benders and non-benders, but for now there was a fragile peace in Republic City as it tried to piece itself back together.

Korra had been busy as well. There was a lot in the newspaper about her, mostly articles about her newfound ability to restore bending. Arael had lost touch with her, clearly getting the message earlier that the Avatar didn't want to be around her after all that had happened. She understood, though. It seemed like the only people who wanted to spend any time with her were her mother and father, and she had only pushed them away, preferring to stay in the confines of their guesthouse so she could be alone with herself as she tried to decide who she was and where she now stood. She hadn't seen anything of Bolin and after their argument, Mako stayed away.

A knock at the door withdrew her from her thoughts and she got to her feet, moving to answer it. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find a group of police waiting outside. One sent a cable forward as soon as she opened the door, wrapping it around her wrist and pulling her toward them.

"What's going on?" she asked in confusion.

"You're under arrest."

She frowned as they took her by the shoulders and pulled her arms behind her back, trying to be compliant as they roughly handled her.

"Under what charges?"

They ignored her, pulling her toward their truck. Starting to panic, her mind began to race with an explanation for her arrest and she began to resist them, pulling against their steel grip.

"This isn't right! What charges?"

Still they refused to answer her and in a last desperate attempt, she pushed them away from her, their bodies moving against their will. The thrill of bloodbending filled her and she locked her eyes on the man who seemed to be leading the charge, forcing him to move in front of her.

"I demand to know what charges."

"F-for assisting in the equalizing of the Avatar, kidnapping the council members, the murder of a wanted criminal, and being a bloodbender," the man said, fear filling his eyes.

"Arael, that's enough," a sharp voice said, causing her to drop her hold and lift her eyes to the owner of the voice. Lin Bei Fong stood before her, her hands on her hips.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're a liability. The people of Republic City won't feel safe with a bloodbender in their midst."

"How did you find out? No one knows…except-"

"Me."

The new voice came from Arael's other side and she turned her head to find Korra standing a short distance away with her arms crossed over her chest, a defiant and triumphant look on her tanned face. A feeling of dread spread through her. So this was how Korra played her next move. Arael frowned and looked away, unable to find a way to plead with Korra and Lin.

* * *

Arael sat on the small bed in her cell, staring blankly at the wall. There wasn't much else to do. She was stuck in her own cell in a special part of the prison where they kept highly dangerous criminals. Her door was a giant sheet of metal that only the police and guards could open. She couldn't see out except for one slot in the door where they pushed her food in, but it wasn't an interesting view. Just the feet of the two guards posted outside her door. They kept her ankle chained to the bed post so she couldn't run, taking all the precautions they could to keep her from getting out. The only thing they couldn't stop was her bloodbending, but she refused to use it. She would get out of here the right, civilized way. She had promised herself she wouldn't bloodbend again after Amon; her reaction to the police had only been because she panicked. And that seemed so long ago. She had been in the cell for days, unsure of how many exactly. The only way she could keep track of time was when they fed her and when they turned the lights out to indicate that it was time to go to sleep.

The door clanged and slid open. She lifted her gaze from the wall to find Mako in the doorway. His golden eyes were worried as he drew closer to her. Unsure of how he would react to her after their argument weeks before, she shrunk back slightly.

"You're okay," he said in relief, pulling her into his arms and reassuring her that their argument was in the past.

"No touching," an authoritative voice said and Mako pulled away from her to scowl back at the guard. He returned his gaze to her and his expression softened. He reached up as if to tuck her hair behind her ear, but stopped himself before he touched her again and offended the guards.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "About the other day and not coming to see you. It's just all been so much. And now you're slipping away from me again." He dropped his head in defeat and she fought the urge to reach up and gently touch his cheek in reassurance.

"It's okay," she replied, her voice hoarse from not talking for days.

"I can't believe Korra did this," he growled angrily. "I knew she was angry and jealous, but I didn't think she'd stoop to this level."

"I deserve it. They're right to accuse me. Everything they've arrested me for is valid." She sighed and looked away, already pained by what she was going to say next. "Besides, you probably thought the same thing about me and look at all I've done."

"But Amon was forcing you to! You had no choice in doing any of the things they've accused you of. He gave you a way out and you did what anybody would have."

"Mako, I went with him willingly. I was so hurt and angry…"

"No, don't say that."

"But-"

"Just stop."

She frowned, her brow dipping in annoyance at the way he was cutting her off. His golden eyes pled with her and flickered back toward the guard before returning to her face. He was silently asking her to just listen to him. Biting her tongue, she held back her anger.

"You're father is doing everything he can to arrange a trial with the council. But the things you've been accused of make it hard. What happened with Amon and the fact that you're a bloodbender should automatically give you the death penalty." She bit her lip at that, her hopes dashed that she might have avoided it. To think that her death loomed made the cell seem a little darker, but Mako seemed strangely unaffected. "But we've been searching through the libraries, trying to gather as much information as we can. And it helps that your father is a councilman. I promise that we'll do everything in our power to get you out of here. I don't understand much about the laws and trials, but I think we've got this. We just need every last bit of information we can use in our defense." He said the last sentence slowly, his golden eyes gleaming slyly as he spoke and tried to convey his message. Her blue eyes lit with recognition at what he was saying. If she didn't speak of what happened the night she joined Amon and there were no witnesses, they could plead her innocence by convincing the council that she had been forced into doing all they accused her of. With a small nod, she told him she understood.

"I have to go know, but I promise I'll come back. Don't lose hope," he said, giving her a small smile. He leaned over and pressed a short kiss to her lips (much to the annoyance of the guards) before sauntering out. The door slid shut behind him and Arael was left to ponder what he said, wondering if there was a possibility of her escaping this with her life.

* * *

**A/N: I have had an overwhelming response to the looming end of the story and it's left me with a tough decision. I wasn't planning on a sequel, honestly, but I don't want to disappoint you guys. We'll have to wait for next season and whether I get any more inspiration from it before I make my final decision. But if I don't write a sequel, I promise to leave you guys with an amazing epilogue.**

**And I have exciting news. The cover has been finished and it looks amazing. It should be up soon!**

**R&R!**


	9. Korra's End Game

**Author's Note: Yes, I realize it's been a long time, but it took me a while to decide how I wanted to end this. Here is the final chapter.**

* * *

"The trial of Arael Gan Ling will begin now. Because of his relationship with the defendant, Councilman Tokin has been removed from the panel for the duration to remove bias. Replacing him will be General Iroh of the Fire Nation and there will be no replacement for former Councilman Tarrlok."

A small frown made its way onto Arael's lips as the first few announcements were read before her trial actually began. General Iroh was an acquaintance of hers but Mako had told her that he and Korra had grown close when he assisted the others in the battle against the Equalists. That meant that the only truly unbiased judge on the panel was the representative of the Fire Nation and she had never been very fond of Arael as long as they had known each other. Basically, there was a slim chance of her winning.

She lifted her gaze to the Fire Nation prince, finding that his own was lingering on her. Their eyes met for a moment and she thought she saw a brief flicker of emotion in his before he quickly turned his gaze away. Her frown deepened and she turned her gaze to Mako, her unease reflected in his golden pools. He gave a short sigh and gave a her a half-hearted smile, as if trying to reassure her that everything would be fine.

"The plaintiff may make their case," Councilman Tenzin said and Arael watched as Korra strode to the front, the picture of confidence. She gave Arael a smug look as she passed by, her blue eyes cold with hatred and already blazing with victory. Under the table, Mako gently squeezed her hand. She couldn't let Korra get to her.

"Republic City Council, I don't come to you as your Avatar, but as a victim of the crimes committed by that girl over there; that _bloodbender_." She spat the word out like it was the most vile poison, causing Arael to grit her teeth. "When I went to face Amon, I never expected to see Arael, who I thought was my friend, aiding him in his quest to obliterate bending and destroy the lives of thousands. But in my attempt to keep my own bending, she interfered and helped that monster take what was so precious to me. She stood by and watched as Amon took my bending, destroying what could have been the last hope for bending as we know it. And then the moment Amon made a move to take the bending of her lover, she used her own to mutilate him." Arael flinched slightly at this and again Mako squeezed her hand, giving her what little comfort he could in the court room. "Arael is a menace and a danger to us all. She's a bloodbender and a _murderer_!" As the words escaped Korra's lips, Arael's jaw clenched. She already knew that the trial wasn't going to be easy and she would have to face such accusations, but hearing the words directed at her was like a knife to her heart. She was a criminal, it was so plainly obvious. She didn't understand why Mako couldn't accept it. She had blood on her hands, Amon's blood, and she was a murderer, no matter how much her loved ones tried to sugar coat it by saying it was in self-defense or it was the right thing to do. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she calmed herself and opened her eyes to check the reactions of the council. Tenzin's expression remained unreadable, the councilwoman looked somewhat disgusted, and General Iroh's gaze was again locked on her. This time he didn't look away from her and they stared at each other for a long moment. His golden eyes were unreadable, yet there was something there, like she was a puzzle he was trying to piece together. His gaze unnerved her and she finally looked away, rolling her shoulders slightly as if to shake off his penetrating look. She looked up and found Mako gazing down at her with a slightly concerned expression. His eyes were asking if she was okay and she gave him a slight nod. She was as okay as she could be in this situation.

"The defendant may now speak," the mediator said. Arael looked across Mako to her father as he rose to his feet, smoothing down the dark blue fabric of his clothing as he moved to stand in front of the panel. Out of her periphery, she saw Korra sitting back in her chair with arms crossed, a smug smile on her lips as she fixed a cold glare on Arael.

"Arael Gan Ling is not the criminal the Avatar accuses her to be. She is, in fact, a victim of Amon's manipulation. She was taken in the middle of the night from her own home by Equalists. She was forced to face a man not even the Republic City Police could capture. And when given a choice between becoming Amon's apprentice or loosing her bending…" He paused and looked out at the audience, his blue eyes holding so much emotion at his daughters predicament. "What would _you_ do when given this option? Would you strip yourself of your identity for the good of the city?" He paused again and many of the people turned their heads down. He turned toward the council, and they avoided his gaze. She looked to them as well to measure their reactions and found Iroh's gaze on her again. This time, he looked away, but it made her uneasy how she kept finding the Fire Nation prince watching her.

A silence had fallen over the entire courtroom as Tokin's words settled onto it thickly "No one is that selfless." His gaze went to Korra and it was blatantly obvious to everyone that he was implying that not even the Avatar would choose to loose her bending in that situation. "Perhaps we still find ourselves living with the primitive ideas of the past. Bloodbending is a crime, bloodbenders are all evil. We let our fears guide us. But look at this girl; this poor victim; this scapegoat of another, much more evil man's crime. Does she look like a criminal to you? What has she harmed? She rid the world of a villain that was wreaking havoc on our city. She's made it more safe for your children to go out and play again. She ended a war. Arael Gan Ling shouldn't be known as only a bloodbender. She's a hero to the city. Let's not dwell on the past. Avatar Korra has her bending back and has restored it to those Amon hurt. The Equalists have fallen back into the hole they crawled out from. Arael hasn't hurt a soul since the war ended. So who is truly at fault here? The young woman who helped restore peace to Republic City," he turned to look at Korra, gesturing toward her, "or the teenager who only began this trial in a childish effort to gain her petty revenge against her rival in love?"

Korra's face contorted into a look of pure rage at his insulting words and she leapt to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at him. "That's irrelevant to the trial!"

"It's not your turn, Avatar," the mediator spoke firmly. She seemed to struggle for a moment, as if fighting with herself to keep quiet. Her jaw muscles jumped and after a few heartbeats, she sat down in her chair, a dark expression on her face.

Tokin straightened and nodded toward the council before taking his seat, sending his daughter a reassuring smile. There was a new air about the room, charged by the councilman's powerful words to defend his loved one. The audience shifted in their seats and mumbled among themselves, seeming to look at Arael in a new light after the speech.

"The council will now leave to make their final decision," the mediator announced. The panel rose to their feet and exited through a side door. Arael's gaze followed them and Iroh cast one last glance back toward her before the door closed behind him. It unnerved her at how interested he seemed in her.

"I think we have a chance at winning this. That speech was amazing, Tokin," Mako said enthusiastically.

"You pick up a few things when you've been on the council for thirty years," her father replied with a smile. "You doing okay over there, Arael?"

Arael pulled her gaze from the door to her father, blinking in confusion for a moment before his words registered. She gave him a faint, half-hearted smile. "Yeah."

"There's no reason for us not to win. Korra pretty much confirmed that this was all a ploy for her revenge by making that outburst. Surely the council will have to take that into consideration," Mako said triumphantly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, son," Tokin warned him. "Remember that this is Tenzin we're talking about. He knows Korra well and will probably try to sway them to her side. We can't be overconfident."

Mako sighed but gave Arael a warm smile, his golden eyes holding a hope that her father couldn't douse. "When this trial is over, we can put all of this behind us and focus on training for Pro-Bending next year. And us. We'll just forget that any of this happened."

Arael wanted so badly to believe his words, but she couldn't find it in her to be as excited as he was. She felt so defeated, like all of this was pointless. No matter what the audience in the courtroom felt, it was the decision of the council that mattered, and the odds weren't in her favor. She gave him a sad smile and gently rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. "Of course."

She cast a glance in Korra's direction and almost wished she hadn't. If looks could kill, Arael would've been dead for a long while by now. The glare that was directed toward her held so much hatred, it almost hurt to look at her. Korra was not an enemy Arael wanted, but fate seemed to want pit the girls against each other. At that moment, the council returned and Arael looked away from the Avatar, suddenly growing nervous as her fate was soon to be revealed to her. Tenzin stood, the apparent speaker for the three.

"The council has come to a decision." He paused, waiting for the excited whispers in the courtroom to fall into silence. His brown eyes swept over everyone in the room before finally landing on Arael. There's was an apologetic look in them and she immediately understood. Her heart dropped and she let her eyes fall to the wooden table in front of her, already feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. "The defendant is guilty of one count of murder and being a bloodbender."

"No!" Mako hissed quietly as a few gasps sounded in the audience behind them.

"We believe that the population of Republic City would be unable to live without fear if a known bloodbender lived among them. It was my father who rid the city of one tyrant bloodbender and we cannot allow the possibility of another to rise. Therefore, Arael Gan Ling will be sentenced to death for her crimes."

Arael couldn't lift her gaze from the table, staring blankly ahead as tears rolled off her cheeks. So this was how it ended for her. A convicted criminal at the age of eighteen, put to death for murder and bloodbending. She was slowly growing numb as the idea settled over her. But she shouldn't be surprised. She knew this was coming.

"However," a new voice cut through the uproar that had erupted in the courtroom, one that held power and commanded attention. Arael lifted her gaze slowly, finding General Iroh once again looking at her, but this time with a gleam in his golden eyes, as if he held a secret. "All charges will be repealed if the guilty party chooses to allow Avatar Korra to strip her of her bending. Arael Gan Ling may then keep her life and continue to live peacefully in Republic City."

Arael's heart stopped for a moment. He was offering her redemption. If she gave up her bending, she could keep her life. All eyes in the courtroom turned to her and hastily wiping the tears on her cheeks away, she nodded. "Yes, of course. Whatever it takes to make the people of Republic City feel safe again."

Iroh gave her a small smile and gestured toward Korra, who frowned. "I never agreed to this."

"Korra, it's your job as the Avatar to support peace. Do you really hate this girl enough to send her to her death?" Iroh's voice was almost scolding as he looked down at the teenager. She glanced at Arael, gazing at her for a long moment before slumping her shoulders in defeat.

Iroh gestured for both of them to approach the front. Arael got to her feet and slowly moved forward, trying to memorize the feel of her bending so that she would never forget it once it was gone. When she reached the front, she kneeled before Korra and took a deep breath, tilting her head and shoulders back with confidence. If she was going down it was with what little dignity she had left. Korra placed her hands on her forehead and collarbone and with one last slow exhale, Arael closed her eyes.

In the next moment, the world fell away and it was only she and Korra, floating in a sea of darkness. Even though her eyes were closed, she could still see. A bright light emanated from both, Korra a light blue and she herself a darker, richer blue. Slowly, Korra's light began to creep over her own, masking it and sending a suffocating feeling through her, like she couldn't move or breath. Panicking, she began to struggle against the grip and Korra's light receded, her own beginning to creep up the Avatar's arms. A surge of power flowed through her and she began to push, savoring the new feeling. It was like she was invincible. If her light consumed Korra, would she continue to feel this rush? For a moment, images of people looking up at her in fear and awe as she stood before them flashed through her mind. She was powerful enough to control the city. And Korra would be nothing. Arael would be free of the Avatar's invasion in her life. She would be the most powerful bender in the world and nobody could defy her.

Korra's light was nearly gone and then Arael had another thought. All the fear she would create; the people she would hurt. She didn't want to be feared. She didn't want the responsibility that came with that power. She didn't hate Korra enough. She couldn't destroy her. The power wasn't worth it. Slowly, her light began to recede, replaced by Korra's. In the next moment, the suffocating feeling returned and she forced herself to bear it. The suffocating feeling pressed on her lungs and then it was as if a fire were burning inside of her, tearing her insides apart. She wanted to scream in pain, but she made no sound. Then it was gone.

She crumpled to the ground, the dark world gone and her own restored. She felt exhausted, like she had fought in a hundred matches nonstop. And there was an emptiness that threatened to consume her. She reached out for the familiar pull of her bending, but it wasn't there. Immediately, a sense of loss and loneliness enveloped her, and for once in her life she felt truly alone. Slowly, she tried to push herself up, but her arms were weak and she collapsed to the ground again. In a moment, strong arms lifted her from the hard floor and she felt her head resting against a hard chest. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment and she caught a brief glimpse of dark hair and golden eyes.

"Mako," she mumbled softly, but her exhaustion overtook her and the world went dark.

* * *

**A/N: I know it's an extremely short ending, but I finally decided that I would, in fact, write a sequel to this since there were so many requests. I have a feeling it will take a while to come out, though. I'm looking for more inspiration for this. If anyone has any more ideas for what to put in the sequel, I'd be more than happy to hear them and possibly use them in my next story. For now, this is goodbye. For those of you who read the beginning of the Golden Firebender trilogy, I think I finally have some creative flow to return to writing that, so perhaps I will see you there.**

**Oh and one more after thought. Any of you interested in the artist who drew the cover for this can look her up on DeviantArt. Jewel009**


End file.
